Web of Fate
by heheangel kisses
Summary: How would it feel to be bethrothed to someone you don't know... and to love a total stranger.... What would happen if you were cursed... only to have a flower and a servant to keep you alive?
1. Midnight Masquerade

_Disclaimer: I DON'T own cardcaptor sakura….. but the story is MINE!!!!_

_Hehe now on with the story……….._

**Web of Fate**

**Chapter One**

The sun shone brightly over the land, as slaves quickly rushed throughout the royal palace grounds, carrying an assortment of platters which contained sweet meats, deserts and goblets filled of spiced wine.

Aris sat annoyed and impatient in her tower chamber, fanning herself off from the hot air and summer odors. Today was not a good day for her as the weather was hot and humid. Below, a group of girls giggled and the air filled with their gossip.

Aris scowled, laughter, ugh. To her, it was like a bat's screech: a high piercing sound.

"Having troubles Aris?"

Aris whipped her head around, turning to find out who had dared to come in so boldly without even knocking, and to use such informality- only to see her identical twin's face. He had conveniently let himself into her chambers.

She growled, "Artemis…"

"You hurt me dear sister," Artemis smiled sweetly, "Why do you talk to me with such a tone?"

"Get out." Aris clenched her teeth.

Artemis smirked, "Why Aris, you seem unhappy just to see your own brother! What is bothering you on this fine day?" he grinned and added, "next to me…"

Aris frowned and pointed to the group of giggling girls "That is what's bothering me."

Artemis gave her a questioning look.

"It's that particular girl, I believe her name is Lady Sakura Kinomoto. She is the cousin of Princess Tomoyo." Aris' face turned sour, "She's always so cheerful, everyone loves and adores her. It's sickening!"

Her brother laughed mockingly, "I don't see what is wrong with her. In fact, I believe she's quite pretty."

Aris glared icily at him. Her brother did not help to lighten her mood.

Artemis sneered, "Besides, she possesses a quality that you desperately need my dear sister."

"And what quality would that be brother?" Aris asked annoyed, "What quality would a mere mortal have that I, Aris, don't?"

"She is kind and sweet. That mortal loves and receives love in return." he answered simply.

"Well I despise her."

Artemis turned to face her with a wicked grin, "Why don't you get rid of her then?" he asked, "Why not just do something with this little pest of yours if you despise her so much?"

"Well, that would be deliciously fun." Aris thought out loud, "But it wouldn't be as entertaining if I just made her 'disappear' now would it?"

She walked across the room, her thick dark gown trailing behind her.

"Suit yourself, but I know you could easily kill her with a simple snap of your fingers if you wanted to. After all, you are the kingdom's most powerful witch and the queen's most trusted subject." Artemis snorted.

Aris frowned "What do you mean by witch?" She said, emphasizing the last word.

Aris never did like being called a witch. Although she was one, the term sounded too offensive and improper for her liking. Especially the way humans portrayed witches: orange hair, green wrinkled skin with a bumpy exterior, and worst of all, a long crooked nose with a wart on its tip. Aris shuddered at the thought. How could mortals create such a revolting creature!

She looked up at Artemis, "Well then if I'm a witch, what are you brother?"

"That's easy," Artemis answered, "I'm a sorcerer."

Aris clenched her hands tightly together forming fists. Artemis almost laughed out loud, he knew he had hit a weak spot in his sister's pride, and was not afraid to continue to add salt into the wound and dent her ego. He needed to put her in her place, as he was the older and to his belief the wiser twin.

"How could you be a sorcerer and I, a witch" Aris cried, "You're just saying that because you don't like the term 'witch' yourself! If I'm a witch you're a warlock-"Aris paused and grinned wickedly, "and we all know how warlocks are like, old aging men with such long thin white hair and beards that repeatedly get in the way!"

"Fine then, think what you want." Artemis rolled his eyes, "Sometimes you're such a child! I question your intelligence at times like these..."

Aris ignored her brother and turned her attention back to the human girl. "As for you Lady Sakura, I have a plan in store to make things interesting; it's about time that I've had some fun in this utterly boring kingdom."

………………………….

"No, no, no! You're doing it all wrong!"

Sakura cringed as her dance instructor, Mistress Ellen, screeched the words.

"Remember," she said, "it's step, step, and glide! And follow the beat if you will."

Sakura sighed; learning how to dance wasn't exactly something she enjoyed. It wasn't that she completely hated to dance, no not at all; in fact she had loved it... until it turned into a chore, an expectation. Knowing how to dance was what every lady was required to do, without it, you would be considered quite unfavorable.

It confused her how each step she took had to be gracefully done while following the rhythm of the song in a simple yet elaborate and elegant manner.

Unlike all of her friends, Sakura found it hard to remember what to do. Other ladies in the court loved to dance, twirling their skirts with each turn and bow. From afar, they looked like little budding flowers in the springtime.

Sakura muttered to herself, "Step, step, turn, glide…"

"Straighten your back Sakura! And stop stomping around like a giant ogre, you must step lightly and gracefully!" Mistress Ellen sighed in exasperation. "Honestly, dancing like that will never capture a gentleman's fancy upon you."

Sakura grinned, that would be just fine. She had no intension of being betrothed and married to anyone for a long time. In her opinion, marriage should come out only from true love, not from their families' want and greed of power and riches.

Unfortunately, her friends didn't think the same way.

"But what else can us females do in life?" asked Chiharu, whenever Sakura brought up this subject, "What else can we do, but be married off and be loving and loyal wives?"

Sakura always disagreed with this point, Chiharu was one of her closest friends, but she would never understand for she was already betrothed to a boy named Takahashi Yamazaki. Sakura thought quite highly of Yamazaki, he was a very fun person to be with and had a very interesting knowledge of the world and its history!

A small cuff on the head brought Sakura out of her thoughts. She lifted her head and smiled hesitantly. "Pay attention mi lady!" cried her instructor as the music began to repeat once more while Mistress Ellen counted the rhythmical beats out loud, "One and two and three and. One and two and three and …"

With one hand, Sakura picked up the side of her skirt as she started to step, turn and bow, dancing to the melody….

Slowly the room began to swirl, dissolving into a whirling vortex as a new hall replaced it, decorated elegantly and sophisticatedly for a midnight masquerade. Torches and candles lit the room; their light radiating across the white painted walls, giving the hall a dreamy star-filled effect. Banners of a multitude of colors hung from the ceiling while hand painted mosaics adorned the wall, each with a different story of its own, of beautiful maidens in the arms of their beloved and dragons grandly basking in their lair of stolen riches from ancient kingdoms.

Chandeliers gleamed from above, showing off their beautifully polished crystal, as young laughing masked couples danced below. Many made their way towards the long white tables which were filled with golden goblets and silver platters of rich food and wine.

Sakura gasped with excitement. She was in the center of it all! The beauty enchanted her, made her drunk with joy. She began to walk out of the dance floor when she felt someone tap her on the shoulder. A boy with messy auburn brown hair and a pair of handsome amber eyes warmly smiled and held out a hand. "Would you care to dance mi lady?"

She laughed melodically as she was swept away into the crowd, "I'm sorry," Sakura looked at him with apologetic eyes, "I'm not very good at dancing.

"Its okay, my little white dove." His laughter filled her ears.

"Hoe?" Sakura thought confused, "little white dove?"

She looked down and realized the she was now wearing a long sweeping white gown trimmed with pink lace and sewn with shimmering gold threads. She felt her lips curve into a smile as she felt the mask around her eyes. The edges were cut to resemble the wings of birds.

"This must be a dream," Sakura sighed happily, "it's so beautiful here." She looked up at her dance partner. "What is your name?"

He smiled and shook his head, "Remember, in a masquerade, you are not allowed to reveal your identity."

"Oh!" Realization took her as she filled with disappointment. "I'm so stupid."

The boy laughed when he saw her expression, "Do not feel so bad, people forget all of the time." He smiled thoughtfully, "But I will tell you my name."

Sakura raised an eyebrow curiously "Why? You just said we weren't allowed to do that."

"I am willing to tell you my name because you are a very good dance partner, I'd love to dance with you again! And because you are very cute!"

Sakura blushed, light pink like the petals of a cherry blossom filling her cheeks.

"Watashi wa Li Sy-"

Suddenly the room began to swirl again, slowly melting away like ice being shone in the bright rays of the sun. The decoration, the food, the dancing couples all vanished before Sakura's eyes, as the boring hall where her dancing lessons were held reappeared.

"Hoe?" Sakura blinked, "Where… where did everyone go?"

"Lady Sakura!" Mistress Ellen frowned. She folded her arms across her chest clearly displeased, "If you are not going to concentrate, I suggest we end this lesson now! It's obvious you stopped paying attention a long time ago and any further instruction would just be a waste of time. Go, this lesson is over!"

Sakura's smile grew into a grin as she rushed outside, clumsily making a curtsy at the doorway before leaving.

"Good day Mistress Ellen."

"Good day."

Sakura picked up her skirt so she wouldn't trip as she ran out of the old ballroom and into the hallway.

…………………………

Aris watched Sakura from her window, running down the hall which lead to the courtyard, "My, my," she mused, "Aren't you the clumsy one…"

She raised her hand. Series of silver threads flowed out of her palm and through her chamber walls, weaving themselves into an elaborate web of magic as they settled in the courtyard, naked to the eye to anyone who was there.

"First I will humiliate you…"

"Then I will hurt you…"

Aris broke out into a tormenting laughter, "And then I will ruin your life!"

………………………

"Free! I'm free at last!" Sakura giggled, "I won't be seeing anymore of Mistress Ellen for today! I'm so happy." She twirled around, humming a soft melody she once heard the princess sing. Sakura stopped and sighed, "but I was having such a nice dream! That boy was just about to tell me his name!" she played with her skirt, "He seemed very nice…" Sakura blushed embarrassed to find herself thinking about him, a stranger she met only in her dreams.

She laughed and closed her eyes, pretending to be dancing just like in her daydream, slowly swaying to the music. Suddenly she felt herself collide into another person. Sakura squeezed her eyes shut to prepare for the impact as she fell to the ground.

She winced, a grimace clouding her face, "Itai…" The hard stone floor was cold, and was not the least bit soft.

"Gomenasai, milady."

Sakura's eyes snapped opened, somehow, the voice sounded so familiar as if she heard it before...

She looked up to see the retreating form of a boy with messy brown hair. From the way he was dressed, she could tell that he was a servant.

How odd…

He seemed very familiar, but she quickly dismissed the thought.

She continued on her way, running out into the courtyard. The cobblestones sparkled in the sunlight like polished gems, as rows of grass and flowers stretched out over the property.

Sakura plucked a flower, its soft fragranced petals tickling her fingers as she made her way to the garden where she would meet the princess and her ladies in waiting for lunch.

………………………..

Aris smirked maliciously as she tied magical threads around her fingers. She pulled on them to see if they were tight.

Perfect.

_Yay! My first chapter done!!!! Okie….. please review! I would really appreciate it if you give me some constructive criticism too! Hehe, just push the button below…………._


	2. Wall of Threads

_Disclaimer: I DON'T own Cardcaptor Sakura! So don't sue me... I'm poor..._

_And I'm so sorry if anyone got confused by the first chapter..... hehe, there weren't any spaces between the paragraphs..............._

_Characters:_

_Aris: the witch of the castle who works directly for the queen (Sonomi)_

_Artemis: the twin brother of Aris, he is the healer of the castle._

_Tomoyo: The princess_

_Sakura: the princess's best friend and second-cousin._

_Hehe, that's all the characters for now... just in case anyone got confused..._

**Web of Fate**

**Chapter two**

Long ago, when the earth was still young, life was born. Using the likeness of the great gods, the universe created man, and all that walked on the earth and all that swam in the seas. Along with this life, came something mysterious. With the remains of the gods' life giving power, magic was born.

What is magic? Nobody really knows, an unanswered question. Still, it is a true mystery to the universe. Magic grants those who obtain it, abilities beyond compare. It allows them to harness and manipulate the uncontrollable forces of nature, and perform spells and enchantments. Which those without the ability could never dream of doing. But in this world of war and chaos, the gift of magic has been weaved out of those unable to live, unable to survive with harsh reality.

Now, only those rich enough to survive the ever growing expenses of life can only hope to inherit this unique gift through family blood. But there is an exception. Around every hundred years, a child is born with the gift, without inheritance from its parents.

............................

Aris looked admirably at the small knife she held in her hands. She turned the blade's golden hilt around in her hands, noticing every fine jewel encrusted in the handle. Truly, this was a magnificent item. Her ancestors had crafted the blade centuries ago, and infused within it their life energy and magic auras. It is said that there is no other item as powerful as it, in the land, and now it was in her possession.

Aris walked towards a large wooden chest, carefully tucked away in her closet. Nobody was allowed to ever touch the chest, or even look inside of it. For if they did, they would find unimaginable horrors that would give enough proof for Aris to be prosecuted. But even then, she wouldn't have enough lives to pay for the wicked deeds she'd done in the past.

She unlocked the chest and gazed inside, selecting a piece of soft wood. She smirked maliciously as she put back vials of blood and foul smelling concoctions. Aris locked the chest again and sat down at her desk. She smiled fondly as she ran the blade lightly over her thumb, drawing crimson blood from the wound. It was still sharp after so many years.

She took the piece of wood, spreading her blood around its sides, and began to carve. The wood glowed black. Skillfully, the knife's blade ran into the wood, silently slicing off a thin piece each time. Small pieces of wood fell onto the desk. Slowly, a figure of a young girl appeared...

...............................

Sakura jumped anxiously into the air, taking in the fresh spring breeze as she fell back down. She couldn't wait; Tomoyo had told her she had a surprise waiting for her. Sakura would see it during the luncheon they would have together. She was so excited! What could the surprise be?

"I wonder if it would be another dress." she mused, "Tomoyo-chan makes the prettiest dresses, but I already have so many!"

The princess loved making costumes and different kinds of clothing, especially for Sakura. According to her, Sakura was the cutest thing she'd ever laid eyes on! Sakura smiled, imagining the starry-eyes she'd often receive from the princess.

Not wanting to waste anymore time, Sakura began to pick up speed. The wind rippled gently through her hair, as birds and butterflies circled around her. She began to twirl around gracefully, laughing with her little friends, but suddenly stopped. The last time she started to daydream, it didn't have a happy ending. She hadn't been concentrating and hit a servant- an impolite one at that- and fell roughly to the ground, earning her a fresh nice bruise.

Sakura made a face as she slowed down, beginning to walk straight. She looked regrettably at her arm, where a large purple bump greeted her eyes.

Suddenly a familiar voice rang out throughout the garden.

"Sakura-chan!"

"Hoe?" Sakura spun around, "Who said that?"

"Sakura-chan!"

"That voice... it belongs to Tomoyo..." Sakura thought, "But where is she?"

"Sakura, I'm over here!"

The voice came from below her. Sakura looked as the garden arched downward, a narrow set of stone stairs leading down the hill. Sure enough, there was the princess, waving a handkerchief in the air and smiling sweetly, motioning for her to come down

"I'll be right down!" Sakura called out, running quickly towards the stairs.

Suddenly she felt the air shift and wave, as there seemed to be a translucent glass wall in between her and the princess. An immense alien feeling flooded over her as shivers ran down her back. This feeling was unnatural; it was as if she was sensing something from it that was trying to pull her closer- and it was succeeding. The feeling was almost foreboding.

"What's this?" Sakura asked, shocked and confused. "Th...this wall, it isn't part of the garden..."

She could hear her blood pumping endlessly in her ears as time seemed to stand still. Everything faded away, leaving only her and the wall standing together in the dark abyss of her mind. What was this- _thing_? Why didn't anyone else see it?

Tomoyo's voice echoed across Sakura's mind, bringing her back into reality. "Quickly, Sakura-chan, your surprise can't wait forever!"

"Hai."

She grimly walked towards the glass wall, and hesitantly reached her hand out. Her arm passed right through the wall, as if it were never there. The unwanted feeling instantly came back, and Sakura pulled her hand back as quickly as she could. The feeling was really uncomfortable. It was clawing at the corners of her mind, screaming at her to get closer.

Sakura couldn't take it anymore, was she going mad? This was all probably a figment of her imagination, an illusion. Yes, it must be that. She was just scaring herself.

"Just go!" her conscience urged, "Nothing to be afraid of. Just go and stop wasting time!"

Sakura frowned and took a big step straight forward. Nothing happened. But as she was going through the wall, it felt as if she was walking through a giant spider's web, sticky and full of threads.

..............................

Aris looked up from her work. There was a slight tug on the fingers where her threads were tied to. She narrowed her eyes, upset that she was disturbed from her work and set the figure down. It was almost done; all she needed to do now was finish the details in the face. This was the most important part. If there was a slight mistake, the doll would not work, and she would have to start all over again, wasting her time and energy.

Aris got up and strolled towards her window, her right hand outstretched. She could feel the threads get tighter and tighter, firmly wrapped around her fingers.

"So, Lady Sakura," she thought, "you have finally stepped into my trap. It's about time..." Aris smirked, "I almost thought you would never come to join my fun!"

.............................

Sakura looked at her arms, they felt strange, as if they had been tied up. Sakura ran her hand over her arm, expecting to touch something. She could feel thin lines pressing against her skin, but, nothing was there.

"How odd..."

She shook her head and began to walk down the steps. Something was wrong, her arms felt distorted, as if they were trying to hold her back. Her whole body felt stiff and restrained. Suddenly something tightened against her ankle, harshly pulling it back and tripping her.

"Wh- what's this!" Sakura cried out, petrified.

She fell forward and rolled down the hard stone steps. Sakura shrieked loudly as the sharp and rough edges of the stone made contact with her body, earning new cuts and bruises.

From below, Tomoyo stood there stunned as her friend fell down the steps. Everything happened so fast. Her mind was a blur, flooding with thoughts and ideas she wished were never there. She prayed that Sakura would be alright and that there wouldn't be any fatal wounds. Those steps were old, but never had anyone thought that they would cause such an accident. If she had magic, she would be able to help her; instead she just stood there in shock, powerless to do anything.

"Sakura-chan..." her throat was dry. She began to run towards the steps.

................................

Aris clapped her hands sarcastically, "Bravo, what a performance!" She looked down at Sakura, "Well, well, well, look what we have here. Our little cherry blossom is unconscious."

Aris smiled, "I'll just have to wake her up."

She waved her hand around, twisting the threads into an intricate pattern, pulling tightly to the side. Aris watched as Sakura's body rolled onto the ground, and then slightly jerk sideways on an angle. The garden's pond waited for her arrival.

.............................

Sakura coughed and sputtered as she tried to sit up in the pool of water. The soft sand underneath her refused to agree with her weight. Sakura was entirely soaked, and her gown felt like a million pounds! It was pulling her downward. She hastily pulled her arm out of the water and reached for the edge of the pond. Her hand clumsily slipped off the rocks as she tried to grab hold of one.

Tomoyo came just in time and clutched her friend's hand firmly within her own. "I've got you" she said quietly, and pulled Sakura out of the water.

Immediately, servants and maids rushed over to the two girls, carrying bundles of blankets, and cloths. A doctor rushed over, promptly bowing to the princess, and instantly slipped a piece of cloth over Sakura's wrist. He closed his eyes and began to feel for her pulse. After a few minutes, the old man smiled and spoke, "There is nothing wrong with Lady Sakura," he said to Tomoyo, "other then a few cuts and bruises, everything will be alright. But I suggest you dry her up quickly before she catches a cold."

Tomoyo nodded as the doctor packed his things and left. She turned to Sakura and smiled slyly, "Yes, we'd best get you changed then. Doctor's orders!" Her eyes shone mysteriously and Sakura groaned. She knew what was coming next.

Tomoyo squealed with delight as she pulled a newly sewn dress into view. It was made out of fine silk and was pale peach in color. Designs of vines and flowers cover the robe and sequins aligned its edges.

Sakura gasped joyfully, "It's gorgeous!" She continued to stare, amazed at the dress. Tomoyo smiled with pleasure, "I'm glad you like it. Now quickly go back into the castle and change. Your surprise is still out there waiting for you to come." She made a gesture, pointing to the far side of the garden.

"You mean this dress isn't the surprise?" Sakura asked.

Tomoyo laughed amusedly, "Of course not silly. If this was your surprise, I would have given it to you a long time ago!" She led Sakura back up the stairs, and gently pushed her towards the castle.

"Now, go get changed."

Sakura grinned excitedly as she ran down the stone pathway. She looked down at the dress she held delicately in her hands, "If you're not the surprise, then what is it?" she said thoughtfully.

She glanced back and giggled, dozens of servants rushed towards the old staircase, carrying armfuls of tools and cement.

..............................

Aris sighed dejectedly as she looked at her hand, the magic began to fade. "Pity," she thought, "Thread magic can only be used once after it's summoned. These threads have completed their task." Aris smirked and walked back to her desk. She picked up the small wooden figure, "But then again, that's why I've created you." She sneered.

"The magic that I'll use with you will never fail me."

..........................................................................................................................................................................

_Author's note: okie, my second chapter! How was it? Good? Bad? Please review!_

_**Wolf jade**: hehe, my first ever reviewer! sniff so happy..... anyway, hope you liked this chapter! I hope you didn't get confused...._

_**Melon-heart**: thx for putting me on your author alert list!_

_**nanami-0815**: really? You thought of the same plot? Wow.... and thanks for putting me on your favourite authors list! :)_

_**Midi Tenshi**: I'm glad you liked the first chapter!_

_**damson rhee**: thanks for reviewing! I really appreciated the review, hehe, I'm sorry if Aris and Artemis are really confusing... but I'll explain more about them later. I hope the character guide on the top kinda helped..._

_**cherrieblossoms**: hehehehe, thanks for the review!!!! Keep reviewing!_


	3. Akira

_Disclaimer: I DON'T own Cardcaptor Sakura! So don't sue me!!!!_

_Main Characters:_

_Aris: The witch of the castle who works directly for the queen (Sonomi)_

_Artemis: The twin brother of Aris, he is the healer of the castle._

_Tomoyo: The princess_

_Sakura: The princess's best friend and second-cousin._

_Eriol: The mage of the castle. He does readings of the future and is good friends with almost everyone in the castle._

_Akira: The prince of a neighbouring country (Drejimn)_

_Syaoran: Akira's personal servant_

_Okie those are the characters for now!_

**Web of Fate**

**Chapter Three**

Here she was yet again, running down the same old stone pathway for the third time today. Once more, the princess was waiting for her, with her 'surprise'.

"Sakura!"

Tomoyo beamed as she eyed Sakura from head to toe, closely examining the dress for any flaws. Sakura looked beautiful, but then again, she always did. Tomoyo felt a small surge of triumph, the dress matched Sakura's complexion perfectly, and it fit her just right. She smiled and gracefully stepped towards Sakura, "Come," Tomoyo smiled, taking her by the hand.

Sakura followed the princess obediently, walking along. It was certainly a beautiful day; the sun was shining brightly in its clear blue sky. There wasn't even a cloud in sight!

When they reached the familiar grassy hill, Sakura couldn't help but smile. A wooden board had been placed beside the repaired stone steps.

"The cement still needs to dry," Tomoyo explained lightly, "so, we'll use this board instead!"

"But isn't it just as dangerous?" Sakura asked.

Tomoyo laughed, "Perhaps, but it's only temporary," she pointed to a young servant waiting beside the board, "and he will help you down, just in case."

The servant bowed deeply, acknowledging their presence, "Majesty." He took the princess's hand and led her down onto the even grounds. Seconds later, he reappeared and held his arm out to Sakura.

"Milady."

Sakura nodded her thanks, letting go of the servant's hand at the bottom of the hill. Tomoyo patiently waited for her as she came into a walking pace along side of the princess.

Sakura giggled, the boy was very cute! When she looked back, the servant had already disappeared, probably helping another noble down the board. "That servant, he is very sweet and very well mannered." she stated.

Tomoyo grinned backed and nodded, "I agree, only 10 years old and already so well behaved. His mother is one of the personal servers to the queen, my mother." She smiled, "I found him standing around the kitchen this morning. He needed something to do."

They walked a little further until the grass finally stopped, meeting with a paved ground to replace it. Tomoyo pointed excitedly, "Over there Sakura, there is your surprise!"

A wide rectangular arena lay in the middle of the stone grounds. Many symbols and special designs were painted on it. They were probably letters of an old and ancient text, as Sakura couldn't make out their unfamiliar designs. A large white circle sat in-between the numerous markings.

Two men stood on opposite ends of the arena.

"Is there going to be a duel?" Sakura asked, tilting her head to the side. "Is this my surprise?" This type of 'surprise' hadn't even crossed her mind.

"Hai." Tomoyo replied, "I thought you should meet someone."

Someone? Who was this someone Tomoyo spoke of?

The princess pointed to a man with midnight blue hair and a pair of eyeglasses, "That is Eriol Hiiragizawa, I believe you've met him before."

Sakura smiled and waved at him, "Yes, I remember. He's one of the mages of the castle."

Eriol's eyes flashed with contentment, "Good afternoon ladies!"

Tomoyo smiled and waved. Then she nodded respectfully to the other man.

"That is Akira Suzuhara." Tomoyo said, "He is the someone I wanted you to meet! Sakura, meet the prince of one of our neighboring countries, Drejimn."

Sakura looked at the stranger curiously; the prince had the blackest hair she'd ever seen, it was even darker then the shades of night. His eyes shone mischievously as their light blue hues gave a perfect contrast to his shadowy exterior.

"Suzuhara-ouji and his family have come to sign peace treaties with our kingdom."

"Oh!" Suddenly Sakura remembered something very important that she had forgotten to do. She flushed, clearly embarrassed, and curtsied. She scowled at herself, how could she have forgotten her manners! Especially to a prince!

She looked nervously to the ground and stuttered, "P-pleased to meet you!"

The prince grinned, "And I, you." he looked her in the eyes, "What is your name may I ask?"

"K-kinomoto Sakura."

Akira nodded thoughtfully, "Cherry blossomsâ a very beautiful name indeed."

Sakura heard a stifled laugh as Tomoyo nudged her in the shoulder.

She felt her cheeks burn.

Tomoyo sat down on a marble bench. She tugged on Sakura's hand and pulled her down beside her.

"You know," she leaned closer and whispered into Sakura's ear, "I think he fancies you!"

Sakura gapped and looked speechless at her best friend.

"I hear Suzuhara-san will be choosing a bride soon." Tomoyo said, enthusiastically clasping her hands together with excitement, "You two would make a perfect match!" By now, stars seemed to twinkle around her eyes.

Sakura almost fell off the bench; she couldn't believe what she was hearing! She playfully patted the princess on the back, "You've been listening to too many romance stories! Honestly, is that all you think about? My marriage?" then she sniffed dramatically, "Do you not want me around anymore?"

Tomoyo smiled, "No, I enjoy your company very much. It would be a shame if you had to go and live somewhere else. Besides, I love you too much to let you go."

Sakura was touched, she reached over and wrapped her arms around the princess and hugged her. "Thank you. It would be disappointing if you were not here with me either."

Eriol cleared his throat and looked at the two girls, "If you don't mind, your majesty, milady, we are ready to start."

Tomoyo laughed, "I forgot you two were there! My apologies."

Eriol grinned, "Apology accepted."

Akira simply nodded his head.

"Alright," the princess cheered, "Let the duel begin!"

Instantly the two men lunged at each other, blades gripped firmly in their hands. Akira was the first to strike, swiftly bringing his blade down. Their swords, met and the clang of metal rang throughout the gardens.

Sakura covered her ears, the sound sent goose bumps throughout her body. Even if this was a friendly match, the sound reminded her of war. It reminded her of desperate abandoned solders, who only knew to kill.

Eriol almost struggled with the weight of both swords upon one another, his arms almost trembling as he barely stood against their heavy mass. Akira smirked, he loved watching his challengers squirm. He pushed down harder, almost bringing Eriol to his knees.

The mage panted and grinned cockily, "Forgive me, majesty, for saying this, but your move was quite amateur for a prince such as yourself."

Akira sneered, pleasure and danger flashed through his eyes. Suddenly the prince kicked up his knee, making contact with his adversary's stomach.

"Amateur am I?"

Eriol stumbled backwards, "Lucky kick" he murmured, wiping the blood away from his mouth. He quickly composed himself and dove for the prince.

Akira stood in his place, looking very pert. Eriol scowled at him, he looked extremely amused. For a second, their swords locked and time seemed to stand still. The prince smiled from behind his blade. He roughly shoved Eriol back and the battle began once more.

Sakura blinked, they were moving so fast! Both of the contenders had various gashes along their robes. Her heart silently broke into two as she noticed the slight slash Eriol had on his cheek. He was like a father to her, and seeing him hurt upset her deeply.

The mage breathed heavily as he wiped the sweat off of his brow. The prince was proving to be quite a challenge.

"Enough of this," Akira shouted from the opposite end of the arena, "Let's end this quickly."

Eriol's eyes widened as Akira suddenly appeared behind him and harshly kicked his back, pushing him into the middle of the arena.

"You're too easy to be of any match anyway!" Akira laughed and ran towards his fallen opponent.

Eriol hastily got onto one knee and waited quietly for the prince. His mouth set on a grim line, he was starting to dislike the prince of Drejimn very, very much. Akira charged, holding his blade in one hand. He swung his weapon at Eriol's head, and gasped as the mage countered the attack. Eriol rapidly crouched to the ground, refusing to let the weight of Akira's sword bring him down. He swung his leg out and tripped the prince. Akira fell on his backside.

Eriol frowned, was the prince trying to kill him? Why on earth would he swing at his head? His frown deepened as he remembered Akira's eyes. They had a look of massacre and slaughter in them.

Akira cursed as he felt cold metal touch his throat.

"Game over."

The prince narrowed his eyes, "Not quite." he hissed. He refused to lose to a mere castle mage.

He kicked Eriol's blade away, catching him off guard and rebounded back to his side of the dueling field.

"Say, why don't we use another type of weapon, just to make things more interesting." Akira tipped his head to the side in slight mockery.

Eriol nodded his head wearily. Sakura looked at him in amazement. Eriol was still willing to fight.

"Syaoran!" Akira shouted. "Come here!"

Sakura's head shot up as she saw a brown-haired servant walk towards the battle grounds. "It's him!" she whispered quietly. It was the first time she'd seen his face, but somehow, she knew that it was the servant she had bumped into previously.

Akira impatiently threw his sword towards the brown-haired servant. The sword flew through the air, its tip facing the servant. The weapon never looked so dangerous.

Sakura gasped, "He's going to kill him!"

Syaoran stepped slightly to the side, and with two fingers, hit the swords blade. The knife flipped and changed its direction to face its new victim - the earth. The servant grabbed the sword's hilt from midair, and silently slid it back into the sheath he was holding.

Sakura stared wide-eyed and almost trembled as she watched the servant. She almost thought that Akira was half crazy for throwing his sword away so recklessly. Relief flooded over her as the brown-haired servant of Drejimn caught the sword, and safely put it away. For some reason she found that she couldn't take her eyes off him. There was something about this servant that attracted her, his presence made her feel almost overwhelmingly safe and protected. She sensed an aura around him; its colour seemed cool and kind, almost like a dark shade of green.

Strange.

Servants usually don't possess any kind of magical auras at all.

Sakura was dimly aware of what was happening as suddenly a slight cry rang out, and Tomoyo quickly stood up from her seat. Sakura refocused her gaze on the arena. Eriol was somehow dangling in the air, waving his arms in surrender.

"Match." Tomoyo called out gravely. In reality, she had wanted Eriol to win, they were very good friends, and she knew he had enough skill and power to overcome his opponent. She walked quickly towards Eriol. With a wave of her hands, Eriol was released from his invisible clutches and settled back onto the ground with a smile.

"Thank you." He whispered.

Akira stood on the other side, a triumphant grin plastered on his face. He waltzed towards the princess and the mage, and held out his hand. "Good match." He grinned, and walked away, too proud for his own good-being.

The prince waved his hand, and immediately, his many servants followed him. Sakura watched in disgust. All of them looked like lost puppy dogs following their master; all of them- except one. The servant with the amber eyes. Unlike all of the rest, this servant held his head up high, and walked away with emotionless dignity.

_Author's note: so, so?? Was it okay??? Hehe, please review!_

_Woo hoo, here comes the thanks yous!_

_TuffaChica – lol, yeah, I guess you could call it a voodoo doll! Hehe, there's a little bit of Syaoran in this chapter, I hope that will do!_

_Lilsaki – I'm glad you like my story! Please, keep reading!_

_Wolf Jade – yay! You didn't get confused!!! Me so happy_

_Midi Tenshi – XD Is a month fast enough for you? Hehe, didn't think so_

_Cherrieblossoms - Tomoyo sounded possessed to you? sigh_

_Sakura Li 2389 – Syaoran is coming soon! BUT, he does appear in this chapter!_

_Damson Rhee - lol, thank you!_

_ss-cherry blossom – To be honest, I use the thesaurus A LOT!!!! Hehe, also, one of my classmates likes to suggests words I can use for the story_......._ Muwhahaha, I'm such a fraud! (j/k j/k!) lol me a newbie toooo!!!!_


	4. Forest of Cherry Blossoms

_Disclaimer: I DON'T own Cardcaptor Sakura! But I do own the story line!_

_Main Characters:_

_Aris: The witch of the castle who works directly for the queen (Sonomi)_

_Artemis: The twin brother of Aris, he is the healer of the castle._

_Tomoyo: The princess_

_Sakura: The princess's best friend and second-cousin._

_Eriol: The mage of the castle. He does readings of the future and is good friends with almost everyone in the castle._

_Akira: The prince of a neighbouring country (Drejimn)_

_Syaoran: Akira's personal servant_

_(Chiharu, Rika, and Naoko are just friends of Tomoyo and Sakura; they don't appear that often in the story)_

_Okay... that's all of the characters for now! Hope nobody gets confused!_

**Web of Fate**

**Chapter Four**

At last, it was finished.

Aris smirked as she raised the doll in the air, letting her completed figure touch the sun's rays. In her hand, it seemed to glow and radiate with a black aura.

"Beautiful..." she whispered, "it looks exactly like her."

And it did, each detail was tremendously close, as if the gods had crafted it with their own hands. But they didn't, it was Aris who had carved it. She couldn't help but admire her newest puppet. The honey-brown locks, the rich sparkling emerald eyes, the childish figure, it was all perfect. She set it back down onto the table, eyeing it closely as if it would jump off and run away.

Slowly, she turned her attention away, getting up from her cushioned seat and walked towards the middle of the room. Aris stretched her arms out, letting the sleeves of her gown hang loose. Suddenly the curtains closed, and the room became dark. A murky ominous glow surrounded her, showing off a small part of her power; it pulled everything in the room into a void of darkness. Aris curled her hands together, clasping them tightly against one another, and then, slowly began to pull them apart. Strand after strand of magic formed against her hands, she weaved every thread from her magic until she held a fine silky ball.

Aris then shut her eyes and turned from her current position, she pointed to the doll, willing it with her magic to come. Gradually, it lifted itself into the air and appeared in front of her. She held up the ball and began to unravel it, tying each piece of thread to the joints of the puppet, and then unto her own fingers. She opened her eyes, and grinned wickedly as her aura died away and the curtains reopened, letting natural sunlight shine through once again. Aris stood alone in the center holding up her puppet, supporting it carefully with threads. Suddenly, she began to chant...

_'Dance for me my little puppet_

_Bow to my every command_

_For you are my puppet, and I am your maker_

_I control your every move_

_I control your fate'_

To say that she was bored was an understatement. In fact, she was beyond what the word 'bored' could even begin to describe.

Sakura sat quietly under the umbrella, shading herself from the immense heat. Right after the recent duel between Eriol and Prince Akira, Tomoyo had pulled Sakura away from the dueling grounds to have a luncheon with three of their closest friends: Naoko Yanagisawa, Rika Sasaki, and Chiharu Mihara. She slowly hunched down on the table, softly drumming her fingers against the thick, white marble. Beside her, the princess and her ladies in waiting chatted excitedly.

Her eyes felt heavy as she stared dully at her friends, what were they gossiping about this time?

Clothes?

Food?

Jewels?

Never mind, it didn't really matter. Sakura began to drown out every sound around her, drifting off into a little imaginative world of her own as she waited for the food to arrive. A small smile tugged at the edge of her lips as her mind wandered off, escaping to a world where fields of everlasting greenery and serenity awaited her arrival. Forests of cherry blossom trees surrounded her; their flowers opened and bloomed, greeting her eyes with a symphony of shades and hues of pink. Breathtaking, that was the only word that crossed her mind as she stood there, letting the petals rain down upon her.

And then she heard it, sounds of twinkling laughter being carried in with the wind. She looked up, only to see amber eyes smiling down at her as he rested in the branches of a blossoming tree.

'Hello.' He smiled; his face was covered with a mask yet again.

She grinned back and watched him, 'I remember you,' she said, 'you asked me to dance during my masquerade...'

'_My_ masquerade actually.' he replied lightly putting emphasize on the word 'my'. He closed his eyes and leaned contently against the tree's trunk.

'Hoe? Your masquerade? How is it your masquerade?'

'Well, I was the one who planned it from my own imagination. Therefore it's my masquerade.' he paused and thought for a moment, choosing the right words to say, 'Just as this is your forest of cherry blossoms.'

'I don't understand.'

'You'll understand in time, my little dove.'

Sakura scowled, that wasn't the answer she was expecting. What did he mean by his masquerade and her forest? It didn't make any sense. She frowned and decided to brush away the thought, there was no use getting frustrated at somebody she didn't know- but then again, why did he seem so familiar?

This had happened before, she'd seen someone that she didn't know and then thought she had met this person before. It was starting to become frustrating. Then she came up with a brilliant plan... or at least she thought it was.

'What is your name?'

'You asked me that before.'

'But you never answered me!'

'Because you just left before I could tell you.'

'Left?'

Suddenly, he opened his eyes and jumped off the tree, landing smoothly in front of her. He leaned closer until their noses almost touched. 'Yes...' he smirked, 'you left me all by myself in my own imagination. I got lonely.'

Petals of cherry blossoms cast upon them, hiding whatever they touched in spots of pink. Sakura watched; piqued with interest as the boy lifted his arm and caught a falling flower. He grinned as he reached over and effortlessly stuck the flower in her hair.

'Looks good.' He commented with amusement.

Sakura grinned; she liked his attitude, so care-free and comfortable. But for some reason, it all seemed – flawed. Perhaps there was something deep down in his heart that he was hiding, keeping it locked away from the people around him. Like a secret he wished not to be shared.

Sakura felt a wave of sympathy. Your eyes were supposed to be the 'window' of your soul, but his - his eyes had a barrier over them, the only thing she saw was emptiness, nothing.

She felt something poking at her head. The boy laughed, 'Hey, are you still here?' He turned around and looked up into the sky, squinting his eyes together slowly to stare at it, 'You better get ready, it's coming for you.'

'Coming for me? What is?'

'Your consciousness.' He whispered.

Suddenly, she felt her body being jerked off the ground as a voice filled her mind. 'Wake up Sakura...' it sighed softly. She could feel herself being pulled away, flying backwards through the trees and into the clouds, being dragged off by an unknown force. The wind picked up speed as the sky darkened. Leaves began to swirl and circled her body in bands of green and pink. The last thing she saw before she opened her eyes again was the boy waving goodbye.

"Sakura-chan... Sakura-chan..."

Someone was shaking her repeatedly, trying to wake her up from her little dream.

"Mmmmm..." Sakura groaned, "I was having a nice dream... please, let me just rest for a little bit more..."

Gentle giggles surrounded her, their crisp sound ringing in her ears. "Sakura-chan, the food is here, you're blocking the table!"

Her head shot up from her position, and her whole body straightened, she was sitting stiff in her spot. "Hoeee...."

Chiharu grinned and patted her on the back, "How was your nap?"

Sakura flushed, "Good..."

"Don't be embarrassed Sakura-chan," Naoko smiled, "you probably had too much excitement in one day! Tomoyo told us all about it!"

"Sh-she did?" Sakura stuttered

"Yes," said Rika, "Is your back better now? You didn't sprain anything when you fell did you?"

"She's alright," Tomoyo laughed, "Sakura-chan came back smiling after she changed! And then she even sat through an entire sword-fight!" The princess gave her a proud look.

"Speaking of the fight," Chiharu thought, "who won?"

"Suzuhara-ouji did." Tomoyo looked disappointed. "But I must admit, he was very skilled in his arts."

"Did they use swords?" Naoko asked, "I heard he was trained well with that weapon."

Tomoyo nodded, "At first they did, but then in the middle of the fight, Akira threw his sword away and challenged Hiiragizawa-san to battle with magic."

Sakura leaned in closer to hear what Tomoyo was saying. She hadn't been paying attention to the second half of the duel, and was quite eager to learn how someone as gifted in magic as Eriol lost to a foreign noble.

**Flashback**

_"Magic." Akira announced proudly. "That will be our next weapon."_

_"Magic?"_

_"Yes mage, this will definitely be entertaining."_

_Eriol smirked, "Did you not forget that this is where I specialize in training?"_

_"I too have been trained before," he grinned wickedly, "do not underestimate me." His aura began to rise and flare, shadows of crimson red began to appear. "Do you like the colour of my aura?" He called out, "Red, for the colour of blood."_

_Eriol glared at him, "What a conceited fool." He muttered darkly. His own dark-blue aura began to rise about him; he would show the prince that he was not at all weak._

_Akira sneered at the mage as he raised his hand and called for his magic, reaching deep inside of his aura, he began to pull a strand of it away, bringing it up into the air to show his newly formed whip. He brought it down harshly towards to ground to show off his power. The pavement cracked and crumpled under his magic._

_Eriol cringed in annoyance, the prince obviously loved to show-off. He raced towards the prince making the first move of the renewed battle. Suddenly Eriol began to multiply, surrounding his opponent from every direction, with illusions of himself. Akira raised his whip and sliced threw each illusion. Every time he cut one in half, its image wavered and then multiplied by two._

_Eriol laughed, "I will not be defeated so easily." He opened his palm and created a ball of wind, it flew out of his grasp and fired at the prince. Akira stumbled backwards in shock. Instantly copies of Eriol attacked him, using the elements with steady control._

_Akira growled as he ducked and rolled away from an attack. His eyes burned with hatred and he raised his whip and brought it down with such force that the ground began to shake. Eriol almost felt like laughing, what a waste of energy._

_The prince began pulling at his magic furiously until his power was just a mere ball of colourless light. He stared hatefully at his enemy and smirked. Akira closed his eyes and quietly, began to invade the minds and auras of the people around him, stealing away immense portions of their power. Onlookers with magic began to grow weak and tired._

_Eriol gasped, he felt what the prince was doing, and forcefully shoved Akira's mind away from his own. He stumbled back and started to breathe hard, it was too late, he was already tired. Eriol stared at the air surrounding Akira, it reflected with colours other than red and blue. Hues of green, pink and violet mixed in with his own shades of red._

_Akira cackled, "Look mage! It seems that now, I too, can increase the number of my forces!"_

_Weapons of every shape and size suddenly appeared around him. Akira scanned the dueling grounds as if he were choosing a victim for each of his weapons. One by one, he destroyed the illusions, and Eriol's copies gradually began to disappear. The mage looked towards him with an expression of pain and exhaustion._

_Akira sneered and wasted no time to seize the moment; he charged at Eriol from behind and knocked him over effortlessly._

_"Surely," Akira mocked, "that the kingdom's most well-known mage is more of a challenge than a mere rag doll! You fall so easily! Pity - I was hoping to test my skills on someone more worthy."_

_With a simple turn of his wrist, he wrapped his whip around Eriol's arms and pulled him into the air._

_The prince smirked, "I win."_

**End**

Sighs filled the air.

Tomoyo giggled lightly, "It wasn't that bad, Hiiragizawa-san did try his best after all."

"You know," Naoko thought, "Suzuhara-ouji and his family came to this kingdom to sign a treaty right? Tomoyo-chan?"

"I heard that they expected to be paid back in return for peace afterwards." Rika said.

"Hai, they came here with an agreement with our kingdom – sort of an 'exchange'." Tomoyo stated, "Demo, okaa-sama has not yet told me what the exchange exactly is."

Chiharu sighed, "Then how would anybody know what to give them if nobody knows what it is?"

Tomoyo grinned, "Remember that tonight, we will be hosting a banquet in favour of Suzuhara-ouji and his family. Then, after okaa-sama announces that the treaty is signed, the Drejimn kingdom will announce their price."

Sakura slightly scowled, peace shouldn't come with a price. Peace should have been earned or given freely - not bought.

'But there's going to be a huge banquet tonight.' She thought, and looked down at her dress, she chuckled, 'Perhaps that's the reason Tomoyo-chan made this dress for me.'

The next hour flew by quickly, the subject of the conversation changed rapidly from one thing to another. Sakura rolled her eyes in confusion, what were they talking about now??? About 2 seconds ago it was about some sort of foreign fashion – no wait, wasn't it good luck charms?! Or was it about the banquet.... Inwardly she pounded on her head with her fists as she desperately tried to concentrate on the conversation. It seemed that everyone but her understood where this long exchange of words was going.

Slowly, a faint buzzing noise appeared. It made its way into her ears, softly crawling into her mind. It rang out without any hesitation.

"Tomoyo-chan," Sakura whispered in a low voice, so only the princess could hear, "can you hear that?"

"Hear what Sakura-chan?"

"The buzzing noise... it won't stop..."

Tomoyo almost looked alarmed at her best friend. She didn't hear anything. Could it be that Sakura was hallucinating?

Sakura was in a daze, her eyes were glazed over and half shut as she looked forward with a lost expression. She could hear it still, growing louder and louder with each passing moment. A voice erupted from within the continuous drone, it was sharp and clear.

'Its as if its calling for me,' she thought, 'such a haunting and sad sound ...its voice, its drawing me too it...'

_'Dance for me my little puppet_

_Bow to my every command_

_For I am your maker, and you are my puppet_

_I control your every move, I control your fate.'_

The voice slowly died away, it shrank back into the buzzing sounds, mixing in with it, and eventually was drowned out by the drone. Suddenly Sakura's eyes grew wide as her pupils shrunk with fear. She forced down a shuddered gasp. The blood drained from her face.

Her skin was crawling – it felt as if her entire body was covered in spiders, each creature taking a step at a time as they wrapped her within their sticky webs with their pointed furry legs. She gripped her chair's edge until her knuckles turned white, her body prickled and a nauseating feeling washed over her.

Tomoyo gasped horrified. Sakura tensed and pressed her arms tightly against her side. She looked in pain. But as soon as it came, the feeling disappeared and dissolved away. Sakura breathed out loudly and relaxed, closing her eyes. Her eyelids fluttered opened after a few moments, and for a second, she looked confused.

"Are you all right Sakura-chan?" Tomoyo cried out, "You... just now...what happened to you..."

Sakura stared at Tomoyo numbly, not daring to say a single word.

Tomoyo's lips curved downward as she frowned, "You're not feeling well, are you, Sakura-chan?"

Rika turned her head to look at the princess, cutting off the conversation, "Is there something wrong?" she asked. Chiharu and Naoko stopped talking, they too looked over. Silence came over the table.

Sakura raised her fingers to touch her forehead, "I feel dizzy, that's all."

Tomoyo stood up, gently lifting Sakura to her feet, "Let's go inside, you need some rest." Sakura sighed and made no comment as Tomoyo led her away. The princess turned back to their three friends, "We will see you all at the banquet tonight." She called.

Nodding, the three girls got up and curtsied to the princess, as they too, left the table, walking in the opposite direction.

......................................  
_ Author's notes: ohohoho, what is Aris gonna do??? yes yes, my fic is slightly cliché... but please bear with me! the main plot will come in... 3 chapters?!? so yes....._

_Wolf Jade - lol, i don't like Akira either!!!_

_sweet-little-girl - yes, sakura does have magic.... but it doesn't really show right now, so don't worry, it's coming!_

_damson rhee - thanks for the suggestion! hmm.... although there's not much description in this chapter about Akira, maybe i'll try to include more in my next chapters..._

_lilsaki - the romance is coming soon!! hehe... but first they have to actually meet....._

_ss-cherryblossom - hehe, i'm sorry, i'm so slow at updating.... but here's the next chapter! hope you like it!_


	5. The Struggle of Puppets

_Disclaimer: I DON'T own Cardcaptor Sakura! But I do own the story line!_

_Main Characters:_

_Aris: The witch of the castle who works directly for the queen (Sonomi)_

_Artemis: The twin brother of Aris, he is the healer of the castle._

_Tomoyo: The princess_

_Sakura: The princess's best friend and second-cousin._

_Eriol: The mage of the castle. He does readings of the future and is good friends with almost everyone in the castle._

_Akira: The prince of a neighbouring country (Drejimn)_

_Syaoran: Akira's personal servant_

_(Chiharu, Rika, and Naoko are just friends of Tomoyo and Sakura; they don't appear that often in the story)_

**Web of Fate**

**Chapter Five**

"Sakura," Tomoyo patted Sakura's hand gently as they walked together past the courtyard and through the large double mahogany doors, "is there something bothering you? You seemed very tense today."

Sakura smiled and shook her head, "Daijoubu, Tomoyo-chan. It's nothing!"

Tomoyo sighed as they reached the end of the dim sunlit hall. Widely varnished steps met their eyes and majestically curved upward, adjoining itself with a maze of rooms and corridors. Rich stained-glass windows filtered the sun's rays, changing it's colour to soft translucent tints. For now, the halls were empty, the two girls were alone. Their footsteps created long and hollow echoes, bouncing off the newly washed walls.

Tonight was the banquet. Longley awaited since the day the Suzuhara family arrived. Servants were out of sight as they were busily setting up decorations and cleaning the castle, scrubbing and waxing the floors until it easily reflected their own image. Nobles took care of pampering themselves, ready for an enjoyable and elegant night.

Tomoyo pushed Sakura through her chamber doors. "I must be going now," the princess smiled, "mother wants me to be well acquainted with the Drejimn royal family." Sakura sat comfortably on her bed as Tomoyo continued, "Don't sleep too long, and careful not to wrinkle your dress ne?" She left and the door clicked shut. Silence.

The sun was setting, and it churned shadowy colours into the sky. Perhaps this was Sakura's favourite time of the day, when everything settled down and became calm, getting ready to rest for the night. Sakura leaned across her window sill, and looked out over the castle's property.

She closed her eyes and went through a small hidden stash of memories in the back of her mind, recalling the day Eriol first sat Tomoyo and herself down to learn magic. That special day was full of wonders and surprises, even if all they did was concentrate on finding their own auras.

Tomoyo, being a fast learner, quickly excelled at the ancient art. While she herself gradually got better every day. The use of magic was probably one of the few things Sakura was especially good at, and maybe one day, she would even outrank Tomoyo.

_"Sakura-san." _

_Eriol smiled at the honey haired girl, "Your power is different from the princess. Tomoyo-san's ability is to heal the hearts of her people, but yours, Sakura-san, can become something great... something totally wonderful and unearthly..."_

Sakura yawned, she was tired. A little nap wouldn't be so bad about now…

And that's exactly what she did. Her eyelids fell over her eyes and the darkness surrounded her, welcoming her into its gentle arms.

As the girl slept, a faint buzz rang around the castle. Sakura didn't notice a thing during her deep slumber, nor did she know of the nostalgic feeling that crept up her body as she rested. If you had looked closely, the halls ran with strings that shimmered silver when hit by the sun. They ran along the floors, the walls, the ceiling, all gathered together going to one destination. Her body was in a cocoon of invisible strands, it folded over her, weaving itself into a cage of magic. She was in the middle, unaware and ignorant.

The clocked ticked on, minute after minute, hour after hour and soon the spell of sleep wore away, leaving its victims to wake. Sakura's eyes opened, she brought her hand to her face to rub away the drowsiness that still lingered. As she pulled her arm up, it felt stiff, restricted. Something was holding her back. She stared at her arm, at first there was nothing there, but suddenly she saw it – her arm was completely wrapped with sticky threads, they pulled against her body, holding her down on her bed.

Sakura hissed, not this again… the threads, why wouldn't they leave her alone!

'This happened this morning,' she grimaced, 'and this afternoon. I won't let it happen again! Whoever created these is trying to hold me back from something!' Sakura felt extremely frustrated, she forced herself off of her bed and rolled heavily against the floor.

………………………

Aris smirked, her puppet was trying to get away! The small model struggled, trying to unhook itself from the strings of magic. She pulled harshly against it. "Lady Sakura, stop trying to free yourself, your feeble attempts are failing to work anyway!" she laughed.

A small knock rapped on her door. Aris frowned, she knew who it was, "Hurry up and come in brother. Stop wasting my time!"

Artemis slide through the doorway, he looked at her with dull black eyes and sat down in an armchair, crossing his legs. "What are you doing?" he asked looking at her newest plaything, "Don't tell me that you haven't outgrown playing with dolls."

Aris glared at him, "Be quiet or leave."

Artemis amusedly leaned forward on the chair. He gave her a smug grin, "No."

"Brother, are you trying to aggravate me?" Aris demanded sharply, "I am in no mood to deal with you now."

"Actually, Aris, I was wondering what happened to you."

Aris frowned, "Nothing happened to me, stop trying to speak in riddles. What are you getting at?"

Artemis raised his hand to examine the nails, "You seemed to have lost all self-respect, playing with an insignificant girl like that. Do not think that I can't feel your magic. You may be able to hide it from others, but not me." He looked at her seriously, "You are going to attract attention with your little antics."

"I am not stupid Artemis. Do you think I am toying with that girl just because she is too cheerful?" Aris snapped sourly, "No, I wouldn't waste my time like that. I sense that she has an incredible amount of magical power, and I want it. One day, she might be strong enough to detect what we are trying to do here. I will not like her to do that!"

"So if you kill her now, she will no longer be of a threat, is that right, sister?"

Aris nodded.

"You disappoint me Aris!" Artemis laughed, "You are being extremely careless. What will the nobles do when they see the dead corpse of the girl? I understand if you want to enjoy yourself in the process, but you are letting your guard down!"

Aris ignored him and tightened her hold on the puppet.

Artemis rolled his eyes, "Seeing as you do not want to continue talking, why don't we change the subject of our conversation then?" He sneered, "I heard you've become the castle jester! The queen doesn't call on you for advice anymore, instead, you entertain her with small magic tricks! How did you manage to fall so low?"

Artemis got up from his seat and marched forward towards his twin sister, "I hear you will be the main attraction tonight, and at the rate you are going, this kingdom will soon be out of our grasps."

Aris fought down an urge to curse at her brother, why does he choose to continue to taunt and pester her so! Does he not see that she has everything under control? That arrogant fool, she hated him, even if they were siblings.

…………………….

Sakura whimpered, she could see it all clearly now, the threads, the magic, the curse. Her room disappeared underneath the blankets of sticky webs, and she was all alone. Why couldn't anyone hear her calls? Why didn't they see her struggle? She gasped as her bonds tightened and threw her towards the centre of the room. Her arms were held back and she felt something coil against her neck, looping around it until it formed a tight knot.

Slowly, the magic started to tighten, it pressed against her skin, beginning to block out air. Sakura sharply gasped for oxygen, as she frantically clawed at her neck. She could feel the thread, but in reality it wasn't really there. Unknown to Sakura, whatever Aris did to the magical doll, it happened to her. She was a helpless puppet.

Sakura's breaths became shorter and forced, 'I can't breathe!' she cried silently. Her neck throbbed and stung, soon, the magic would be able to draw blood as it slowly sliced through her skin. 'I don't want to die…' Tears formed in her eyes, blurring her vision of the room around her. Sakura squeezed her eyes shut, letting the tears fall down.

"I DON'T WANT TO DIE!" she screamed in pain.

Suddenly, everything stopped and her eyes clouded up with fear. The sound of her heartbeats pounded heavily in her ears.

_**Ba-bum**_

_**Ba-bum**_

_**Ba-bum**_

'I can hear my heart,' Sakura thought weakly, 'the sound of my life, the sound of my existence… if it should stop, then I will cease to exist.'

**Ba-bum **

_**Ba-bum**_

_Ba-bum_

….............................

"Can you feel it, Lady Sakura?" Aris's voice was low, "Your heart, it is fading. And soon, your downfall will bring my rise to power."

Artemis watched skeptically as his sister stood before him, in the centre of her own world of void and nothingness, pulling the strings of a puppet. Her eyes flashed clearly with madness and insanity. Slowly, her arms tugged the threads apart, squeezing the doll's neck tighter, and tighter and tighter…

……………………

She was weak, her whole body was tired. Her heart was almost dead and it was closely drawing her along to the pits of everlasting fire. This was not the way she wanted to die, this was not the way her life was supposed to end.

But she was not dead yet, perhaps she would be able to live. Time had stopped, striving to keep her on the thin strings of life. She was drowning in sounds and echoes of her own heartbeats. It was still beating loudly, unwilling to stop - she wouldn't allow it to. Sakura glared at her surroundings, 'Leave me alone…' her gaze softened and she closed her eyes, 'Surely, everything will be alright…'

Something dominant in Sakura's heart finally escaped out of its long confinement. A new dormant power was released after many years. Light burst through the room, lighting every corner with a soft pink glow. Sakura's eyes rolled back, as her body arched upwards, letting her being float in the air. Through the walls, small infestations and rodents scuttled away, afraid of this alien light.

……………………..

Aris felt a shock of power surge through her body, it felt like lightning, attacking her from the rains of misery at the most unexpected time. Her doll went limp, floating in the air on its own accord. She noticed a dull pink barrier surround the doll, pushing her threads back, forcing her to grit her teeth with exhaustion.

Why was the girl fighting back? Useless brat, doesn't she know when to give up when her time was done? Aris pulled against the magical barrier, trying uselessly to squeeze her way through it.

The girl was fighting back unconsciously, and yet, the power was so strong. Her greed for magic instantly took over her body, discarding anymore caution, her threads mercilessly attacked the shield.

Artemis snapped one eye open from his resting state, Aris had gone insane. He sighed, one of these days his sister will be the death of him. He yawned, stretching out his senses for any approaching being. Aris was lucky he was there. Because of him, nobody with magic would sense what she was doing. Artemis smirked, he would need to think of a way she was going to repay him. Perhaps he should visit her more in his free time, he was sure Aris enjoyed his company anyway. If she wasn't already completely insane now, he was sure she would be later.

Suddenly the sound of footsteps rang through the halls, it was coming closer with every step. Artemis looked at Aris, her chamber was the only room in the tower, and surely whoever was coming, was coming for her. He got up for the third time and walked towards his sister, waving his hand in front of her face.

No response.

"Aris, wake up," he said mildly, "someone is coming, and I suggest you better stop this insanity soon. You'll get us both caught."

Still no response.

He started to frown, the footsteps were getting louder. Artemis sighed, he had no other choice. He reached his hand above the doll, his fingertips just touching its head. Honestly, it was a pity to break such a work of art, but what else could he do? A thin blade appeared in front of his hand, and swiftly, he brought it down on the doll's head, quickly severing the wood in half.

Aris screeched when her threads disappeared and the cut wood fell to the ground. Her fingers were bleeding from exerting too much pressure on them and her hands now hung limp at her sides. She glared at her brother and didn't think twice about the pain in her hands. She curled her fists and struck him hard on the face.

"You!" she cried, "How dare you stop me! Lady Sakura was almost dead, and you stopped me!" She couldn't believe it, the nerve of her brother! How dare he interfere!

Artemis stood calmly in his spot, ignoring the fact that his younger sister had just hit him. "Aris," he said, deathly calm, "can you not hear it, or have your ears malfunctioned? Someone is coming, probably a servant sent by the queen to look for you. Imagine what would have happened if they saw you. You were too absorbed by your greed to even notice."

He didn't think Aris heard a word he said, but never the less, turned around and marched towards her wall. He was leaving, there was no use in staying here. He raised his palm in front of the stones and pushed his body through the structure. Before he completely transported himself through the hidden portal in his sister's wall, he turned back to see Aris trembling with anger, "You will thank me later." He said, and then left.

Aris was left standing by herself, anger, disbelief, and annoyance rushed through her senses. There was nothing to say, she just stood immobile in her spot, shaking with conflicting emotions.

Aris glared at the severed doll. If she herself had split the puppet, Sakura would be dead at this very moment. The girl's body would have been found in a bloody, and distorted state. But no, Artemis was the one who destroyed it. The princess's cousin should be thankful. Artemis was not the one who had spread his own blood on the figure, he wasn't even the one who spent hours carving the doll! In his hands, the puppet was totally useless, and now, it was broken.

Suddenly she heard someone knocking on her chamber doors. She looked at the handle venomously as it slowly turned and unlocked the door, letting her visitor enter. One of the queen's ladies in waiting walked into the room and curtsied towards the superior.

"What do you want girl?" Aris snapped, giving the girl an icy look. She didn't care if she was being rude to the young lady in waiting. She didn't even care if she scared her. She looked distastefully at the cowering girl, lashing out her anger upon her.

"T-the queen would l-like to s-see you m-miss…"

"When?" Aris demanded.

"N-now miss…"

Aris cried out in frustration and brought her fist down onto the desk. "Now? She expects me to come now? Tell the queen that I'm busy!"

"B-but miss, the queen would like to discuss with you about tonight's banquet!"

"Well tell her I'm unable to speak to her at the moment!"

"But miss! The queen is waiting for you in the grand hall!"

Aris growled at the annoying girl. She stormed out of the room and shoved the lady in waiting aside.

………………………..

Sakura stirred and slowly opened her eyes. Her body felt heavy and broken, she was sprawled on the floor. The girl painfully pulled herself in front of a narrow mirror sitting on the side of her room and looked wearily at herself.

The dress was wrinkled, her hair was messy and a deep red scar ran around the bottom of her neck. What had happened? The last thing she remembered was a blinding flash of light, and then everything went dark. Although her body felt dead, her heart was beating with a new rekindled fire. Somehow, she felt new – reborn. A feeling of renewed strength shot through her being, it encouraged her to move, ignoring the sharp pain of her stiff muscles.

The banquet was in an hour, and she needed to change. She looked as if she just came out of a torture room and that would start to attract attention… one thing she didn't need. Though her magic was still weak, Sakura could feel a faint evil aura wandering around the castle. She was sure whoever wanted to kill her would be attending the festivities tonight, and surely, she would find out who it was.

She slowly changed into a simple green gown with golden embroidery at the bottom of the hem. The designs outlined simple patterns of vines and leaves, curling within each other to the middle of the skirt.

Sakura sighed and went towards the mirror. She stared at her reflection again looking slightly disgusted at the deep crimson mark. How was she going to hide the scar? It was clearly visible, and not even the neck of the dress was tall enough to cover it. Sakura frowned. Her eyes wandered over her room until they met with a basket of ribbons. She pulled out a matching piece of lace and tied it securely over the mark. Nobody would see it now – hopefully.

………………………………

_Author's notes:_

_okie, I hope I gave all of you an small idea of Sakura's magic by now… sweatdrop a lot of people asked me if Sakura had magic…. Well now you guys know ne? :)_

_I'm sorry it took me so long to update.... i had such a writer's block.... this whole chapter seemed so.... repeatitive..... if anyone has any suggestions, please don't be afraid to tell em to me!! FLAMES ARE ALLOWED!!!  
_

_Rapscallion: thanks for reviewing! i appreciated it! _

_Mariko: hehe, i'm glad you like the ideas in my fic! please keep on reviewing! i'm sry that i didn't update as fast as you would have liked! sweatdrop  
_

_lilsaki: glad you like it! _

_Wolf Jade: XD i'll make sakura find 'the boy' very soon...... HOPEFULLY next chapter..... but if not.... soon...... _

_ss-cherryblossom: and again, sakura and syaoran will meet hopefully in two chapters, sometimes when i start typing, the plot just goes really wonky and new ideas gets added while the old ones get pushed back...._

_Anyway, minna-san, IF I'M DRAGGING THE PLOT TOO LONG PLEASE TELL MEEEE! i don't want to turn the fic into something boring and a waste of time! please tell me what you think! thanks! and don't forget to review!!!! breathes _


	6. Memories

_Disclaimer: I don't own Cardcaptor Sakura so don't sue meeeeee!_

_Main Characters:_

_Aris: The witch of the castle who works directly for the queen (Sonomi)_

_Artemis: The twin brother of Aris, he is the healer of the castle._

_Tomoyo: The princess_

_Sakura: The princess's best friend and second-cousin._

_Eriol: The mage of the castle. He does readings of the future and is good friends with almost everyone in the castle._

_Akira: The prince of a neighbouring country (Drejimn)_

_Syaoran: Akira's personal servant_

**Chapter Six**

**Web of Fate**

If I were to tell you my name, would you know who I was?

If you were to become my friend, would you help me in my time of need?

If I called your name, would you answer me?

Probably not.

I am nothing but a serving boy – a slave.

…………………..

Aris forcefully pushed opened the heavy wooden doors to the banquet room. Her hands stung as her fingers had not yet completely healed. She was still angry, and pinched her fingers with aggravation, making them trickle with blood once again. It was better this way, because taking her anger out upon the Queen would definitely not do her any good. Seeing the Queen, she quickly composed herself, hiding her hands out of view well within the sleeves of her gown. Aris curtsied low towards her superior.

Sonomi smiled at her faithful advisor and gestured for Aris to rise.

"Your Majesty," Aris said, "why did you call for me?" she looked up at Sonomi, comfortably perched on a velvety throne, her hair cut short and long on either side of her head.

"The banquet tonight is in the honour of the Suzuhara family." Sonomi said, "I've heard that they easily get bored. In order to have the peace treaty signed, we would need their cooperation." She paused thoughtfully, "If you don't mind Aris, I would like for you to entertain them after the dinner."

Aris' eyebrow twitched with annoyance restraining from opening her mouth. It was more of an order than a request. She scowled, her brother was right. The Queen was turning her into the castle jester. She forced herself not to lose her temper and smiled bitterly, "And what, would her Majesty, suggest that I do?"

"Anything pleasurable would be fine Aris." Sonomi thought out loud, "Just keep our guests entertained and satisfied."

……………………

Glimpses and patches of memories fade away everyday. What you see today, will only become distorted images tomorrow. The fog of age will come, and when that happens, everything will be different. The hands on a clock always move, rotating over and over again in that same circular motion.

But I am different, I will not always stay the same, I will not always repeat myself.

I am human.

Time follows the same pathway without ceasing. Everyday, it begins anew, embarking on that everlasting journey from morning until night. Just when you think everything is over and done, time will just go back, and start again. I honestly don't believe in new beginnings, your soul will never get a second chance. If you died, would the gods bring you back down from the heavens? Time never gets any older than it was yesterday, but the living will. The only pathway to go from here is to forget. To purge all of those foggy memories out of your soul and throw them away.

However, for me, I can not do that. Call me a liar and a hypocrite if you like, but my foggy memories are all that I have. Memories that truly belong to me. The only remaining sanctuary that I can escape to from the insanity around me.

I remember much about my parents. Their smiling faces and kind voices are slowly being crushed by cloud and mist. There's merely one thing I remember about my mother and father though - their deaths.

My sisters often told me stories of our family, once smiling and happy but poor. They said that our parents would always tell us stories of knights and dragons from afar, putting us to sleep with their enchanting words. We were well and safe. I don't think that I was ever happier.

It's a shame I don't remember any of it.

When I was four, that all ended in an instant. Nothing would ever be the same. My mother was hung, unjustly accused of witchcraft. Even though I was just an infant, I still remember the sounds of struggling and suffering that came from my mother's lips. We were forced to stand there and watch, just an arms length away from my mother's execution.

I can still see flashes of her death in my nightmares – the jagged coarse rope tied around my mother's neck, teasingly dangling her in front of all to see. The small squared hole under her feet, mocking and laughing as it was just too far for her to reach the ground below.

Although she tried not to, her struggles were still very apparent as she squirmed in the air, trying desperately just to breathe in one last breath of air. I remember seeing mother's open eyes, staring horridly right at me. Those black open eyes would forever be clear in my memories - deep drowning pools of darkness filled with bittersweet love.

Ironic though that my mother never had a single drop of magic in her blood.

……………………

Akira threw his head back in laughter as he sat down beside his parents at a small pine table in their provided guest suite. Gousuke Suzuhara, the king of Drejimn, looked amusedly at his son as he laughed. He exchanged small grins with his wife, Kagami. Their son seemed so content.

'Fools," Akira breathed, "They're actually willing to give us something in return for peace?" the prince shook his head, "Doesn't this country know that they've just been cheated?"

A servant stood quietly at the door of the room, making sure that nobody would interrupt. His amber eyes followed the royal family as they acknowledged their benefit of this trade. True, what they were saying was the reality of the situation, but it made him sick and disgusted in seeing how malicious and manipulative they were to others' stupidity. Of course, he would never say that out loud. It wasn't his place to make petty comments of his superiors - especially when he personally served one of them.

Syaoran slightly leaned back against the frame of the door and listened closely to his master's conversation with his parents. Sometimes, it was important to know what they were planning. Although he kept the information to himself, it didn't hurt to listen to what they had to say.

Kagami sat across from the young prince. She gazed at him with secretive eyes, their shade the colour of the sea. The queen was regarded as the most beautiful woman in the kingdom, with her long black hair and pale white skin. Perhaps that is where Akira himself took his features from. To the villagers, Kagami-sama was a beautiful and kind soul that graced each one of them with a smile everyday.

Syaoran snorted inwardly, what a lie that was.

Her name matched her personality perfectly. A vain, power-hungry woman who would stare at her reflection for hours, pampered with rare jewels and foreign powders.

The smooth surface of the wood felt cold against Syaoran's back. This kingdom was truly different from Drejimn, he thought bleakly. The atmosphere back 'home' was always burning with hostility. It suffocated him.

Nobody else understood the turmoil within Drejimn's borders – not even the citizens themselves. But of course they wouldn't, how could they possibly understand? The servant boy scowled resentfully. People say ignorance is bliss. Well if being ignorant to all of the lies and scandals going on would make people happy, then so be it.

Kagami gave a small sly smile, "Akira-kun," she cooed, "since your birthday is coming up soon, why don't you choose what the trade will be." She ran slender white fingers through her hair, "Ask for whatever you like, I'm certain the queen would surely grant it to you."

"Yes," Gousuke grinned, "a perfect gift."

Syaoran rolled his eyes; the king was somewhat a pathetic man. He always agreed with what the queen said. At times it seemed that Kagami-sama was the true king. The servant smirked, in fact, it was partially true. It was Kagami that made all of the decisions and rules for Drejimn. She was just using Gousuke's name to hide behind. It was amazing how she was able to manipulate the king's actions for her own welfare.

The king was probably the complete opposite than his wife, in looks. While the queen had a dark look that always mystified her onlookers, the king had a more active sort of look. With his tanned skin, brown hair and eyes, Gousuke looked extremely trustworthy. If only his people could see behind that fake façade. His eyes were so full of greed and supremacy that it was a wonder how nobody else saw it.

"Actually, I was thinking…" Kagami winked, letting her sentence hang for a while. A crafty smile was plastered on her china-doll face, "Akira-kun, every year, you grow one year older, and one year closer to finding a bride." She looked over to Gousuke for his approval. He nodded, with the same glint in his eyes as the queen. "It's about time you got married."

Akira leaned back on his chair and stretched his arms forward. "You're asking me to request for a woman?"

The glimmer in Kagami's eyes was enough to answer him.

……………………

Sakura walked slowly down the staircase, her hand resting against the banister. Dinner was about to start and yet, she wasn't hungry. There was going to be a feast tonight, and her favourite kind of steak was going to be served! Sakura's mouth watered with delight, just imagining the food. An image of a large steak floated across her mind… a well herb seasoned piece of meat with a rich and creamy gravy, exactly medium rare and was extremely tender in your mouth! Sakura sighed regrettably; she wouldn't be able to eat all of it!

In a false sense of depression, the girl walked glumly down the stairs and turned into a main corridor. Sakura looked up with surprise as she heard the pattering of running feet coming towards her.

"Sakura-chan!"

Sakura turned around to see the slender figure of the princess running down the hall. She fell into place beside Sakura and greeted her best friend with an enthusiastic smile.

"Is there something wrong Sakura-chan?" Tomoyo laughed, "You look so depressed!"

Sakura smiled and shook her head, "I was just thinking how much food there was going to be served tonight." Suddenly, she had the same depressed look again and started to wail, "I'm going to miss out on most of it!"

The princess giggled, "Sakura, you look cuter when you smile, so stop looking so miserable. Besides, we can eat steak any other time!"

Tomoyo smiled and closed her eyes, trying to calm down. She opened her eyes again and paused for a second. Her face fell noticeably when she glanced at the dress Sakura had on.

"Sakura-chan," Tomoyo asked quietly, "Where is the dress that I made you?"

Sakura's eyes widened and gasped, she was supposed to wear Tomoyo's creation tonight!

"T-the dress? Oh, the dress that Tomoyo-chan made for me!" Sakura laughed lamely, trying to explain her situation. "Ano, it got wrinkled, and, um, dirty when I took my nap… so, yeah."

The honey-haired girl stuttered unmistakably clear. Sakura hated lying to the princess, but the dress really did get wrinkled! She wasn't totally lying, she was only leaving a few details out - so that would mean that it wasn't really a lie, right?

Tomoyo narrowed her eyes and stared at Sakura seriously, "Did something happen?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest, "Sakura-chan, you're my best friend. You can tell me anything, you know. Don't you trust me?" Her last words were strained with hidden emotions, Sakura had never held any secrets from her before. It hurt the princess that her best friend was keeping something from her. Clearly, something was bothering Sakura. Badly.

"It's nothing!" Sakura answered quickly, "Don't worry, everything is fine." She didn't want Tomoyo to worry, besides, how could she ever explain what had happened?

It all seemed so surreal. She could still sense a faint trace of the murderous aura floating around the castle. Sakura forced a small grin and tried to change the subject, "Ne, Tomoyo-chan, you still didn't tell me what happened after you left my room. What is the Suzuhara royal family like? Was Suzuhara-ouji there?"

Tomoyo smirked slyly, "Do you miss the prince that much? My, I must say you are sure moving fast, you just met him this afternoon!" The princess playfully grinned at her best friend, making Sakura flush with embarrassment at her words.

"I-iie Tomoyo-chan!" Sakura turned a slight shade red, "I was just curious!"

Tomoyo gave her a sceptical look and sighed, "Sakura, I know what you're doing, so stop trying to avoid my original question."

Sakura avoided her gaze, she just couldn't meet Tomoyo's eyes. Neither of them said anything for a while. It was awkward, not being able to talk to your best friend truthfully.

"Come on!" Sakura tried to end the uncomfortable silence between them. She grabbed Tomoyo's hand within her own, "Daijoubu, I'm alright. Besides, you should be hungry by now. Let's go eat." The girl smiled and ran off into the hallway, leaving Tomoyo standing by herself with a worried expression.

Tomoyo's eyes were downcast, "No, it's not alright." the princess whispered, "Don't try to fool me Sakura, I know you better than that...."

"Why does your smile seem so fake?"

……………………

After my mother died, the villagers of our town were convinced that they saw some demon floating over my mother's head after she was hung. They said my mother's eye colour changed to a glowing red just as she died. Idiots. They were just looking for some excuse to murder the rest of my remaining family too.

People said I was cursed from that day on, because my own eyes possessed the piercing colors of red and gold. Fanren, my eldest sister of four, always smiled and ruffled my hair as she told me my eyes were unique. 'They burn with the fire of hope', Fanren said while giving me a wink. I thought my sister just read too many romance novels.

We were the last descendants of the Li clan, and of Clow Reed. My mother's family was powerful, but for some odd reason, the flow of magic disappeared from our bloodline, three centuries ago. From then on, magic was only a fairytale to us too. As far as I'm concerned, magic shouldn't exist in my family anymore.

Perhaps that's why I'm so scared. We're not supposed to have magic, especially since we were commoners. Then how would you explain this coloured mist I see surrounding my body? I've heard my master talk about it before, it's called an 'aura'. It represents magical power in one's soul. I must always hide my aura, because it's forbidden for anyone else to feel it.

……………………….

Everything was swirling around Artemis in a void. Whatever seemed to be solid was truly not. The laws of matter would certainly never explain what was happening now, as Artemis passed through walls and walls of wood and stone, heading back to his chambers. Sometimes, the mind can be a powerful thing. If you concentrated and believed hard enough, whatever you wanted to happen, would.

Of course, nothing came from nothing - that was a fact everybody knew. You could not make anything happen at all without having something to sacrifice for it first. Artemis didn't create the portal in his _beloved _sister's room from thin air, rather, he used what he had and rearranged it to his own liking. Stone and concrete walls felt like foam and water when he passed through them.

To be honest, he had left Aris' room quite some time ago, and yet he was still roaming around the castle. Artemis laughed at his own stupidity – obviously, he was lost. Artemis smiled; he was not always this naïve, no, not at all. He was different from any other sorcerer in the castle. The knowledge he held within, all of it came from first hand experience. All of it.

Other healers learned of the true poison of nature from books and teachers, but he saw all of them first-hand. Of course he would have never done it by himself, he had 'help'. The ways of ethics just never really appealed to him. Why should anybody care anyway? In the end, everyone dies. Death is something that cannot be stopped nor prevented. Artemis liked to think that he just helped dispatch others on their way.

The healer smirked; of course, his efforts were always rewarded. Knowledge was a gift to be earned and it was worth his trouble. He never really liked to use animal test subjects, they were just too different, and they were much too inferior. Human subjects on the other hand were more gullible and provided more accuracy in results. Artemis preferred to use those weak with disease, he preferred to use those who seeked for his help – his patients. His last 'patient' was a true flower. A nadeshiko with royal blood.

Artemis, leaned against one of the passing walls. How was it that he got lost in the beginning anyway? He was getting tired, and wandering around a castle was not what he wanted to do.

"_**It's about time you got married."**_

"_**You're asking me to request for a woman?"**_

His eyes widened as suddenly the sound of voices caught his attention. He could feel the sounds, pulsing through the brick and stone. Artemis raised an eyebrow, interested. He turned one ear towards the wall and leaned in closer to hear.

"_**Akira-kun I know you've only been here for a day, but do you have any maiden in mind?"**_

There was a slight chuckle.

"_**Actually, yes. I just met her today."**_

"_**You mean the princess?"**_

"_**Iie. Someone else."**_

"_**Who is it then Akira-kun?"**_

"_**Let's just say the cherry blossom that I have in mind is sweet and obedient. She's seems like the perfect little wife."**_

Artemis stopped listening, it was the visiting royal family from Drejimn! He narrowed his eyes, so this is what they wanted in return. The royal family was quite cocky, but knowing queen Sonomi, peace would not be worth anything compared to a human life. Poor Akira, Artemis smirked, the prince's request would not be accepted!

Artemis rubbed his hands together; luckily for them, he was in a good mood today, so why not help the visitors? After all, he himself had no principles to follow. Hiding his aura, Artemis whispered something under his breath. He felt the spell take place as his consciousness left his body. Slowly, he let his spirit seep through the stone wall and into the guestroom. He smiled satisfactorily as he stood unnoticed, nobody knew of his presence here.

Artemis walked closer to the queen of Drejimn, a plan formulating in his mind. He bent down low and placed his hands on top of her head, feeling his essence flowing into her soul. It wasn't easy, playing with other peoples' thoughts, but Artemis had enough experience. He pushed himself into her mind, almost merging his consciousness with hers.

"Perfect," Kagami laughed, "just perfect! By tomorrow, you will be betrothed Akira-kun! Nothing will go wrong."

Artemis grinned, or so she thought. He began petting her hair and whispering words to her soul. Of course she didn't hear him, only her sub-consciousness did.

"Your majesty," Artemis whispered, "the queen would never allow a trade for a human life. She thinks a human soul has much more worth than peace itself. No, she would never allow it."

He could feel Kagami's subconscious soul fighting back at him. It roared questions of doubt, demanding what could go wrong. Nothing pleased the healer more, this woman was quite stubborn. Not many were strong enough to retaliate, but she did.

This time his voice was more persuasive, his whispers had a more melodious shade to it as it rang out, "Your majesty, the queen would never allow this trade, nor will the family of the chosen maiden. For what could they possibly gain? They will gain nothing. But instead your majesty, give them a gift to change their minds, a gift to ensure your son's future bride. A soul for a soul. This kingdom will give you a girl, but who would you give back to them? Give them a person as such, one who is commendable, one who is reliable and one who is trustworthy. Perhaps then, and maybe then, will you be granted what you so long desired."

Artemis released his grasp on Kagami's mind, she would definitely listen to him now. He turned around and marched triumphantly away, not bothering to see the results. Besides, he was in a hurry. Though he was lost, that didn't mean he had forgotten about tonight's festivities. It was a special event that he could not miss. A forthcoming opportunity to tease his sister, for he was sure she would be providing the entertainment. It would be something to hold over her head later.

……………………….

_Author's notes:_

_I'M SO SORRY IT TOOK ME OVER A MONTH TO UPDATE!!!! But, hey, better late than never right?_

_I hope I wasn't jumping to too many different scenes and made you guys confused. The reason why it's so jumpy is because there's too many ideas crammed onto a few pages, I would have expanded it, but I didn't know how. Anyway, I hope people understood and enjoyed this chapter. The ending scene is for people to understand Artemis's character a little bit better as his name always appears but you guys don't know any details about him._

_As for the timing for the story, you must be wondering when am I'm going to get to the main plot or anything that's related to my summary. Ehehe, that's a long story. Originally, what would happen in chapters seven or eight should have happened in chapters three or four. How that happened, I have no idea, but I guess I got new ideas and pushed the original ones to the side. Also, each chapter is shorter than what I thought I would have in the beginning._

_**lilsakli** - I just realized that I STILL didn't have Syaoran and Sakura meet yet!!!!! lol, I'm not sure about you, but that fact bugs me a lot! Ugh, I need to get my lazy butt on the computer and type my story instead of reading the fics of other people!_

_Anyway, on a brighter note, I'm proud to tell you that the story is advancing slowly and steadily towards that point, until then, please keep on reading and reviewing!_

_**Rapscallion** - thanks for reviewing!! It means a lot to me that people actually think my fic is okay! hehe, sorry the update took so long! This time I'm not allowed to blame it on writer's block or anything like that, nor can I blame it on the celebrations of Christmas or New Year! For the next chapter, I'll try to be more efficient!_

_**Wolf Jade** - lol, I don't think you'll have to wait much longer for the banquet, because that's an event I GUARANTEE will be in the next chapter! Pinky promise!_

_Hehe, if you thought that Aris was freaky in the last chapter, I hope you'll find that Artemis can rival that fact in this one. Or at least he's getting there. I'm trying to make his character cheerful but very insane._

_Anyway, minna-san, thanks for all of the reviews! I love it when I see them in my e-mail! Makes me so happy!_

_Remember, if anyone has any suggestions or corrections to grammar or stuff like that, please don't be afraid to comment about it! So just push the little purple button down there in the corner…_

_...heheangelkisses_


	7. Opal Eyes

Disclamer: I DON'T OWN CCS…. Only a few broken DVDs…. '

**Web of Fate**

**Chapter Seven**

Everything was dark as the roof opened up into the night sky. Sakura felt as if she was floating, floating in space and freedom. She imagined herself flying high into the skies of the universe, laughing ecstatically as the stars twinkled around her, smiling with their steady pulsing light. Tiny glowing stars danced around her, running through her hair and into her outstretched hands.

Sakura giggled, 'Kirei….'

Little by little, the lights began to get stronger. The stars began to fade into the sea of marble, consuming the universe until their light became blinding. The universe disappeared, leaving only a room of whiteness. She suddenly stood unaccompanied and alone. There was nothing there to be seen, nothing to be heard.

Why did everything change so rapidly? Where did her paradise of stars go?

A warm comforting hand appeared on her shoulder. Somehow, she wasn't frightened and calmly turned around. She smiled gently at his presence, cool and soothing.

That boy.

It was always him. No matter what she dreamed of, no matter what her mind created, he was always there. Well, perhaps, the word 'always' would be a bit exaggerated, but this was the third time he'd been in her dreams. Sakura was beginning to doubt that he was just a creation of her imagination. No, he was definitely real, she was sure of it.

A thoughtful idea popped into her mind. Sakura felt amused, somewhere in this vast universe, this boy would also be asleep and dreaming. She imagined his face carrying an expression of peaceful slumber with his eyes closed lazily.

This was their world. It was a world where whatever they dreamed of would come true, only fading away when the morning sun peeked through their bedroom windows. But now, there was nothing – just whiteness.

"I'm sorry for taking it away," the boy smiled sincerely, "but I'm here to wake you up."

Sakura looked at him curiously, ignoring his comment for the time being, "Why is it that every time we meet, you're always wearing a mask?"

The boy laughed and shook his head, "It's not only me, you're wearing a mask as well." He pointed to the upper half of her face, with an understanding expression, "The masks, they're not really there until you notice them. I can never feel myself actually wearing it."

"Hoe!" Sakura's eyes widened and she raised her hands to her face nervously. Her fingers traced the familiar patterns of bird wings on the edge of the disguise. "I didn't even know it was there!"

"We're not meant to know each other's identities yet, that's why."

"What?"

The boy smirked and flicked her nose, "That means that I'm not allowed to know who you really are yet, my little dove. Quite unfortunate really."

"But why not?" Sakura argued. She didn't know whether her face flushed because she was frustrated, or because he just called her his dove.

He just waved her question away, "Don't worry, we'll find out eventually." He rubbed his hands together and gave her a small smile, "Now, as I was saying before you interrupted me –"

"Sorry." It was just a mere whisper.

He coughed politely, making her clamp her mouth shut immediately. "Before you interrupted me," he continued, "I'm here to wake you up."

"Why?"

He shrugged, "I actually have no idea why. The last thing I remember was that I was walking, and then suddenly I ended up here." He turned his head to look at their surroundings, "It's time for you to leave your dreams now, that's why everything has gone."

Sakura's eyes widened, "What time is it!"

"I wouldn't know," the boy shrugged, "In this world, there is no such thing as time."

"Then I better be going," Sakura thought, "There is somewhere where I have to be tonight." She curtsied towards him, "Thank you for coming to wake me."

The boy began to fade into the white-washed walls. He waved goodbye to her and turned around. As he walked away, the depths of black covered the whiteness of the room.

……………………...

Everything was blurry.

Her vision had a fuzzy glaze over it as she opened her eyes. Sakura found herself lying in a foreign surrounding. She sat up abruptly, "Where am I?" she asked frantically, detangling herself from the covers of the small bed she was on.

The soft glow of torches revealed a small room filled with bookshelves flooding with manuscripts and parchment. A small desk was crammed in the corner of the wall. The edges and corners of the wood were beginning to crack and split. Rolls of parchment were thrown onto the desk, sitting in a muddled pile of animal skin. A single roll of material was spread out in between all of the clutter as fresh black ink was painted on the top corner.

Sakura got up from the bed, carefully taking her time as her head began to spin and coloured spots appeared in her line of vision. She eyed slowly the words written across the top of the sheet, it was her name. Sakura's brow creased in wonder as she brushed the page away with her fingers. Old and crinkled sheets exposed themselves from behind the first sheet of animal skin.

More black ink.

"What is this?" Sakura frowned. The ink was obviously aging as it began to fade off of the page.

"Ki-no-mo-to Na-de-shi-ko…"

She deliberately read her mother's name slowly, syllable by syllable. She rubbed her eyes with her hands, surely she had read wrong…

_Kinomoto Nadeshiko_

_Age: 27_

_Married_

_Number of children: two_

_Disease: unknown_

_Medication….._

Sakura cringed, what was this? Why was her mother's personal information all here? The list of medications her mother took was endless. Many of the herbs were crossed out with red ink, as bold letters were scribbled around the page: medication stopped.

Her mother… she had to suffer so much throughout her disease, and yet none of these medications were able to help. Sakura closed her eyes shut, bitter memories flooding back into her mind. It didn't matter how many remedies her mother tried, her condition only seemed to get worst.

Her eyes followed the black ink onto the next page. To her horror, a list of side effects appeared before her. The brush strokes of every character and symbol seemed to become more delicate and precise….

"I see you are awake, Kinomoto-sama"

A low melodic voice interrupted her thoughts and Sakura spun around shocked. A man stood at the doorway of the room. His long dark hair was tied back with a yellow ribbon. Somehow, his features looked strangely familiar - almost identical - to someone she was acquainted with.

In his hands rested a small teacup, with a vile smelling herb crushed inside of it. The man moved towards the desk and set the cup down. Sakura frantically tried to discreetly fix the pages of parchment behind her back. Maybe he wouldn't be able to see that she was looking through his files, after all, the room was quite dark.

"You've found your mother's medical list."

No such luck.

The man looked up at her and smiled, "I was the healer who tried to cure her." He fingered the pages away and stacked them back onto a shelf, "My name is Artemis."

Sakura stared at him wearily; he seemed kind enough.

"May I call you Sakura-san?" inquired the healer.

Sakura gave Artemis a smile, "Sure." Then she looked around the room, "Ano, Artemis-san, how did I get here?"

"You passed out in the hallway," Artemis answered simply, "You were with the princess when suddenly you fainted."

Sakura's face turned tomato red, "H-hoe… how embarrassing…."

The healer grinned inwardly. This girl was so gullible! In truth, he had found her walking with the princess to the grand hall. Artemis had noticed that Sakura was slightly tired, and being a person who held on to every chance he was offered, he put the girl to sleep. Aris was not the only child in the family who was able to play with magic and charms.

"Do you know how my mother was like? Can I ask you about her," Sakura's timid voice broke his train of thought, "Artemis-san?"

Artemis nodded at the sudden request, "Sure."

Sakura beamed, "Arigato! My father and onii-chan do not always have the time to tell me stories about her anymore."

"Your mother came down with her illness shortly after you were born, Sakura-san." Artemis scratched his chin as if he were thinking, "I was assigned to treat her."

The healer made the most sincere face he could muster as he lied through his teeth, "We tried everything – from traditional remedies to western techniques. Nothing worked."

Of course, Artemis casually left out the fact that every herb they tried was poison based.

"I see…" Sakura smiled sadly.

"Kinomoto-san was the most cheerful person I have ever treated," Artemis spoke. For once, what he said was true. Nadeshiko never gave him any trouble, "She never complained about her suffering."

"Okaa-san was a very strong person wasn't she?" Sakura's voice spoke tenderly.

"Indeed she was."

Sakura decided to change the subject, "Your name sounds… different and unique Artemis-san, are you from these lands?"

Artemis smirked, "No, I was born somewhere far, far away from this kingdom."

Sakura tilted her head, "Oh really? What was that village called?"

"It was a very old village. I'm sure, the name has already disappeared."

"Disappeared?"

"Yes, I doubt it still even exists after 1000 years." An air of darkness suddenly entered the room. The torches dimmed and the air grew colder. "I myself have lived through a dozen lifetimes."

Sakura stepped back confused, her thoughts raced in her mind. 1000 years? What did he mean by that? H-he was insane.

Artemis faced her, his eyes were hard and serious, "I have watched men grow and destroy each other throughout their senseless wars."

"Artemis-san, what are you talking about…"

"I know all the mysteries carried by your people from the past 200 years."

"Onegai, you're scaring me…"

"I have seen the beginning of time when the gods walked on this earth."

He walked closer to her and Sakura yelped in fright, "I am glad we are finally able to meet each other. You see, I have been wondering who exactly you were for a very long time." a shine of malice flashed through Artemis' eyes, and he took Sakura's chin within his hand. He stared at her with a look of utmost disgust, "I still don't understand why she has such an interest for you, Kinomoto Sakura."

That was it, something within Sakura's mind snapped. She wretched herself out of the healer's hand and backed away, terror filling her eyes. She fled out of the room, not daring to look back.

Artemis frightened her, but she didn't know why. His eyes held terrible secrets behind them, secrets that should have never even existed.

She didn't know where she was going. For once, the hallways seemed almost like a maze to her. Portraits of mysterious men and women glared down at her. From afar, the paintings looked beautiful as each person was dressed in finely designed gowns and suits. But as you went closer to each one, their expressions twisted and changed, their heavenly glow was replaced with a disturbing air of rage. Where was she? Surely she was hallucinating. This corridor, it held many things mysterious and unkind.

…………………………..

What is that pain I'm feeling? Ugh, my head hurts. It keeps throbbing in my ears.

It hurts. Make it stop.

Syaoran grunted as he painfully pushed himself up from the stone floor. Did he pass out? The servant shook his head violently. Suddenly a spasm of pain rushed through his mind.

Great, just what he needed. He shouldn't have done that.

Syaoran reached two fingers up to the back of his head, running them through his hair to find any cuts on his scalp. To his dismay, his fingers found a small trickle of blood on the side of his head.

"Damn." The servant hissed, he must have hit his head when he fell. Was saving the girl in his dreams really worth all this trouble? He looked over to his side and groaned, the water basin he had been carrying had spilled all over the floor. His clothes were already drenched and soggy. He would surely receive punishment for this unfortunate event.

He didn't waste any time to sit around and feel sorry for himself. Who knows how long he was unconscious for. Syaoran prayed that the towels he was also carrying remained dry. He got on his hands and knees and began mopping up the water off the floor.

…………………………….

She was running blindly through the endless maze of corridors. Sakura closed her eyes, she had to get away. In reality, she possessed nothing more than a childish fear of a shadowy man, but something about his eyes made her want to escape. She wanted to fly through the windows and go as far away as possible.

Sakura tried to take a deep calming breathe. It didn't work. She shut her eyes, squeezing out all of the scary thoughts.

Suddenly her feet collided into something hard and she felt the bottom of her legs become drenched in water. Sakura opened her eyes too late to see herself plunging towards the ground. The ground wasn't too soft as she hurtled into the stone with a shout. She must have tripped another person as she was falling because she felt dead weight fall across her legs.

"I-itai…" Sakura winced and began rubbing the place on her arms in which she used to absorb the pain. She looked over to see a mop of brown hair trying to lift himself up. His stomach landed right on the point of her feet.

Sakura gasped, "Daijoubu desu ka?" She pulled her feet away from the boy and rushed over to him. Her eyes widened with realization as his face turned towards her, "You're Suzuhara-ouji's servant!"

"H-hai." His hand clutched his stomach tightly. The shock of the pain would go away soon, but he felt his intestines clench into a tight ball.

Sakura raised a worried hand over his shoulder. "Are you sure you're okay?" she asked softly.

The servant merely nodded and bowed his head, "Excuse me for making you fall my lady, please do not worry about this inferior servant. Did you suffer any injuries yourself?"

Sakura smiled and raised her hands, "Only minor scratches here and there."

The servant took out a roll of cloth from his jacket; he looked up to face her, "May I?"

"Huh?" Sakura blinked confusedly. Suddenly the servant took one of her hands and began wrapping the cloth around the cut on her hands.

Sakura smiled widely, "Thank you, you're very kind."

Syaoran felt heat rise up to his cheeks as Sakura smiled at him. His eyes widened in shock and he quickly turned his head away, hoping he didn't seem rude to one with a higher ranking.

Sakura didn't seem to notice at all. Instead she felt her petticoats and skirts suddenly feel damp. She jumped up in surprise and realized they were sitting in a puddle of water. A water basin was flipped upside down just beside them. The servant seemed already aware of this. He muttered something under his breath about having to wipe it up all over again and began re-soaking a white towel.

Sakura felt horrible, she was the one who made the mess, and now he would have to clean it all up!

"Let me help you!" Sakura offered impulsively as she picked up a spare towel. The servant appeared extremely stunned as he watched her with wide eyes. This was a servant's job, not one for a girl born of noble blood. Oh god. He was in deep trouble now.

Sakura noticed the servant staring and she giggled, she knew exactly what he was thinking. "Don't worry!" Sakura exclaimed, "It was my fault this happened, it's the least I can do!"

Syaoran nodded hesitantly, you never question your superiors.

Sakura wiped her hands off on her dress. There, all done. The servant helped her up and bowed deeply towards her. "Thank you for helping me my lady."

Sakura smiled, "It was my pleasure." She watched as the servant bent lower and then stood up straight. Sakura frowned, there was something red in his hair.

"Come here," Sakura motioned with her hands, "I think your head is bleeding."

Syaoran bit his lip and walked closer towards the girl; she made him bow his head down and brushed her fingers over his cut. Sakura nodded and then let the servant stand straight. Remembering her magic lessons with Eriol, she closed her eyes and gave the servant a small peck on the cheek.

Syaoran almost jumped away. She kissed him! He felt panic rise up inside of his chest as his cheeks turned a darker shade of red.

Magic flowed through her lips and into his body, as small blue dancing sparks seemed to bounce towards the side of his head. Suddenly, he didn't feel as dizzy anymore. His headache disappeared.

"There," Sakura beamed, "all better now."

Syaoran couldn't even say thank you to her. His mouth glued shut in a shocked expression, and he looked at her with large eyes. He was afraid that his voice would betray him to stutter if he said anything.

The girl waved goodbye, "I must go now," she said, "there is a banquet tonight you know." With that, Sakura turned and left. He stared quietly, watching her run down the rest of the hallway and turn a corner, disappearing out of his sight.

Syaoran gawked for a few moments before he raised a hand to his cheek.

Oh God.

………………………...

Tomoyo paced testily in front of Sakura's chambers. She shouldn't have let the healer take Sakura with him. Tomoyo began to grow nervous, what happened if Sakura's condition was worse than it appeared? She had to find her best friend as soon as possible, Sakura had to be okay. If something had happened to her best friend and she was not there to comfort her, she would never be able to forgive herself. The princess whispered hopefully into the air, "Sakura-chan…"

Perhaps she was being overly worried, but Tomoyo had promised herself that she would protect Sakura as long as they were together. This was no exception.

Tomoyo placed both of her hands to her heart and closed her eyes. There was no use waiting any longer without doing anything. A smiling aura filled her senses and Tomoyo looked up with surprise to see her best friend running towards her with a cheerful expression.

The princess almost started to cry with relief. Tomoyo raced up to her dearest friend and practically jumped on her.

"Sakura-chan! I was so worried about you!" Tomoyo wailed, "You scared me so much when you just fainted!" she hugged Sakura as if she would never let go.

She felt Sakura pat her head encouragingly, "I'm sorry for making you worried."

Tomoyo released Sakura from her hold, "Why do you feel so wet?"

Sakura practically fell from embarrassment, "I-I tripped over a bucket of water when I was coming here…"

The princess placed a hand on her forehead with an exasperated look, "Sakura-chan, this is the second dress tonight! You're going to have to change again."

"Hoeeee…"

"Luckily, I came prepared!" Tomoyo's expression practically cracked with delight, "I don't know what I am going to do with you, Sakura-chan!" She pushed Sakura into her room, shoving a small basket into her hands. "Here, I was saving it just in case."

"Hoeee…"

………………………………

"He has been gone for over twenty minutes!" Akira glared furiously, "Useless idiot, he can't even fetch hot water without taking a long time to do it!"

Stupid servant.

The prince banged his fist on the side table, the wood creaked and groaned. His expression twisted in aggravation, such insolence would not be tolerated! Tonight was an important night, and if he should arrive late and improperly presented, that servant will be whipped at least twenty times.

Dim-witted fool.

Akira stood abruptly, making the table flip over and bang on the floor. He flung open the door and stomped outside the room. Sure enough, the servant was running with a basin of hot water with a fresh towel in his hands. He froze in dread as he spotted the prince and lowered his head. Silently, he walked into the room and began to prepare the bath.

Retarded scum.

Akira waited for Syaoran to finish, his eyes set in a deadly stare. His soul felt an extreme need to vent his anger as his right hand twitched and clenched into a ball.

"Suzuhara-ouji, I have prepared – "

A searing pain tore through Syaoran's face as the prince harshly attached his palm to his cheek, throwing him to the ground. The stone seemed to be on the prince's side, as an uneven corner ripped through his sleeve and shallowly tore into his skin.

"Never," Akira hissed, "never again dare to make me wait in such a manner." He kicked Syaoran in the ribs, "I will not be so lenient the next time this happens, but I expect there will not be a next time."

The prince left him, lying on the floor and gasping with pain.

………………………

Jugglers danced on thin wires as they threw themselves into the air, grabbing onto invisible chains just before they fell. Their slender appearances made them look as if they were flying, flipping into midair and spinning over one another. Their white painted faces gave off expressions of laughter and joy, hiding the serious concentration that was truly underneath. Below them, ballerinas danced about in elaborate circles, tossing their coloured ribbons up and flaring their brightly made costumes. Their silk scarves gliding gently over everything they touched; creating illusions of coloured lights which sparkled on every turn.

Entertainment was certainly not a factor to be worried about as even rich tropical birds sang sweet melodies towards the crowd. The only thing was, none of it was real. The jugglers, the dancers, all of them were made of wood.

Nevertheless, the hall was lit with several hundred candles with silver ornamented stars hanging off of the ceiling. Unworldly draperies reflected the candlelight with their glassy translucent dyes; they swayed gently against the flooding music in the hall. Strings of red and gold wound themselves within the cloths, creating magical patterns and shapes. Underneath the yellow-gold material, young couples twirled around on the dance floor, forming giant rings and flowers within each other. Females smiled widely in their long satin gowns as they danced, and the men grinned respectfully in their delicate wear of velvet.

This was the ball everyone was waiting for, and certainly, it did not disappoint them. The splendor was magical and breathe-taking.

Trumpets rang out and soon everyone's attention was turned to face a grand staircase, layered heavily in polished wood and thick carpeting.

One by one, the royal families entered the hall. Their purposely lengthened strides elegantly displayed their finery as they walked down the stairway.

In all of his pride, the prince of Drejimn progressed slowly into the hall. He wore long coats of ocean blue fabric which almost reflected silver in the light. Akira felt the eyes of many gazing upon him, and he savored the feeling of being in the spotlight. He raised one of his arms as he took a deep bow, presenting himself for all to see. Akira laughed silently as he faced the crowd of discreditable on-lookers. Unlike them, _he_ was the perfect example of class and dignified manners.

The prince's eyes scanned the ballroom, searching for his future wife; he gave a satisfied grin when he spotted her. There she was, dressed in a simple gown that made her glow like an angel. The butterfly design on the dress did not go unnoticed as matching ribbons curled with the hem of the skirts and ran along the back of the robe. Hair ribbons were braided into her honey brown locks and bounced lightly beside her face. Her bare, untouched wrists led to ivory hands, free of any jewelry or rings. Long white fingers contrasted the complexity of her robe. Akira's breathe was caught in his throat, yes, she would become his bride tonight.

Sonomi stood up grandly and spread her arms outward towards her guests. "Let us begin the feast!" she smiled and went to her seat, her dress swaying gently as she walked. The banquet table was very long, as it accommodated every guest at one seating. Its rich dark wood was covered in pearl cotton and painted glass china. One by one, people stopped dancing and went off of the dance floor. They followed their queen and sat down at the thick wooden table. They chatted excitedly; banquets of such splendor did not take place everyday. The music died down until it was just a soft string of melody.

Sakura almost pranced into her seat as she took a spot beside her father. "Otou-san! Good evening!" she greeted him with bright sea green eyes and a large smile. Sakura loved her father very much; Fujitaka Kinomoto was an archeologist and a very talented man. He could do almost anything – especially cooking and sewing. Sakura sighed inwardly; she wished she could cook as well as her father.

"Oi, Kaijuu, don't you have enough manners to greet your brother?"

Sakura jumped at the sight of suspicious and wicked eyes. Touya mocked glared at his sister, scrunching his face into a pout. His short black hair was neatly cropped back and it blended in gently with his tanned skin. He reached over to ruffle Sakura's hair, pulling many strands out of the braid, "I suppose kaijuus do not have enough time to be courteous though, they take too much time stomping around…."

Sakura's eyes widened and her expression turned into an evil, defiant stare, "I am not a monster!" She glowered at her brother as she kicked Touya as hard as she could under the table, "And I was not stomping! I was dancing!"

"Monsters sure are really violent these days..."

"Onii-chan!"

"What's that? I thought I heard growling just now." Touya cupped his hand over his ears and pretended to look around the grand hall, searching for a massive mound of fur.

Sakura wanted nothing more than to step on her brother that very instant, she imagined as tall as an ancient oak, her old and rich branches rasping softly as she squished Touya under her thick roots. She was about to hurl more insults at her sibling, but soon, the twinkling of bells was heard and servants filed into the hall carrying trays and platters of food.

Sakura immediately swung her attention from Touya and stared at the dishes of meat and wild vegetables. She almost cried when the platter of beef came around the table and settled in the center of the mass of food, its soft brown gravy sliding teasingly over the meat and falling into the platter. Appetizers of almond milk were set before each guest and Sakura took small sips from the bowl, but her eyes were elsewhere from her food. Surprisingly, she wasn't even looking at the steak. She was looking at something more friendly and human.

………………………

Akira winced as he sipped from the almond milk. It was simply disgusting; he would have to complain about it later. The milk wasn't smooth or creamy and its bitter taste rolled slowly down his throat. The almonds were not even finely grounded, and the prince felt the sandy texture on his tongue. He snapped his fingers impatiently to call his servant.

Syaoran stumbled quickly towards his master, and he couldn't help but wince at Akira's upset frown. What was the problem now? The prince had already sent back the dish two times, the first for being too chilled and the second for it being too sweet. Syaoran bowed his head down; his bangs hid the bruise that was starting to purple on his cheek. "Yes, master?"

"Bring this back." Akira ordered inflexibly, "I refuse to be a guinea pig for any more of this – this garbage." The prince did nothing to hide his dissatisfaction and he continued to grumble loudly, "Are the chiefs not paid to prepare a _decent_ meal? If the appetizer is like this, then I might as well refuse to eat anything else that is served!"

Syaoran bowed and removed Akira's soup bowl from the table. He walked quickly out of the hall. Syaoran reached out to push the large double doors open, just as his fingers touched the wood, he took one small peek back at the feast. Someone was staring at him, and he felt goose bumps fly across his arms and around his neck. The girl who knocked over his basin of water was looking at him in curiosity as she gave him a small smile. Syaoran's heartbeat quickened with fear when he dared to smile back at her. Immediately, he pulled himself out of the room and leaned against the closed door in defeat. Just looking at her made him feel hot all over and blush.

He didn't even know her name and he felt nervous. How could just one girl affect him so much? For God's sake, he just met her – and it was only because she bumped into him.

Syaoran wished his mind could just escape and leave, away from this feeling and away from that girl – just somewhere where he wouldn't feel so intoxicated and nervous. He wanted her gone, he wanted her to disappear.

It would be better if she just went away.

…………………………

Tomoyo looked at Akira worriedly, she could feel his mood desperately changing into anger. She tugged on her mother's sleeve gently but urgently. Sonomi put down her spoon and looked at her daughter with a relaxed expression, "Yes, Tomoyo-chan?

"Mother," Tomoyo spoke quietly, "The prince does not seem to be happy, look at his eyes, they're starting to show irritation."

Sonomi followed Tomoyo's gaze and eyed the foreign prince. She saw him glaring at his servant and clicking his tongue in a nasty snarl. Immediately, her expression matched that of her daughter's in worry. The queen's eyebrows furrowed slightly as she tried quickly to think of a way to solve the problem. "Shall I call the main entertainment to begin? Perhaps that might distract his mind."

Tomoyo nodded her head with slight relief, "Yes, hopefully that might improve the prince's mood."

Sonomi turned her head and leaned towards her servant woman, "Call Aris, and tell her to begin." The woman nodded and quickly ran off out of the room through a side door, her footsteps disappearing slowly as she went further away. Sonomi tapped her wine glass and stood up in front of her guests, "Entertainment will be on soon, it should be quite enjoyable."

Sakura looked up from her food, and stared at the dance floor. Servants dimmed the torches and a hush went over the audiences. Suddenly an explosion of smoke burst from the floor, and the fog covered everything in sight. Many gasped were heard as people tried to wave the gas away, they couldn't see anything!

Sakura squinted her eyes and looked intently at the fog. There was something… small, dark figures twisting within the fog. Sakura widened her eyes at the sight, tiny wooden feet appeared, jumping and dancing across the lifting cloud, their smooth ankles ringing with charms and bells. Suddenly another pair of feet appeared; the two figures twisted and turned together in a small waltz. The fog was fading away now, every second revealing brightly painted costumes and ornaments.

Streamers of lights reflected from the figures and the lights ran across long invisible wires. Sakura could see it now, wires hung across the entire hall in a mass of confusion, all tied to the two dancing figures. She almost closed her eyes shut; the lights were appearing faster and flashed into her eyes.

An aura of black glowed around the two dancing dolls – to others, the dolls appeared as if they had a life of their own, moving on their own accord. Sakura sat frozen in her spot and she gapped at the feeling before her. It was the same feeling she felt when something had tried to choke her, and it was the numbness she felt when Artemis had spoken to her. Sakura couldn't help but feel isolated and alone, her heart almost burst in terror. She looked at every other guest in the room, why was nobody else scared of this presence? Even the princess smiled as she enjoyed the spectacle.

Suddenly the dolls stopped dancing and spun into a curtsy. They peered up into the audience, their opal eyes smiling insanely. Sakura wanted nothing more than to disappear at that moment. Those opal eyes were smiling at her.

The dolls giggled and skipped towards her seat. They twirled around her legs and tied the wires across her ankles and legs. Slowly they climbed onto the table and pranced in between the dishes of food, laughing childishly as they entertained everyone at the table. Sakura could only watch in complete shock as the dolls spun around goblets and danced on the edge of dishes.

The dolls looked up curiously and stopped in front of the prince of Drejimn, pausing to stare at him with lifeless eyes. They whispered among themselves and nodded in agreement. "He is the one." One of the puppets winked as the other presented him with a silver bell.

The dolls grinned wickedly before they jumped back to the floor and ran behind their mistress' legs. They giggled senselessly together with singsong voices, "We know his secret! We know his secret! What a naughty prince he is… a bad little prince indeed…." They buried their wooden faces into the folds of Aris' gown, muffling their high pitched laughter.

Aris raised her hands and smiled fondly at her creations before looking up towards the royal guests. "Welcome, royal family of Drejimn. The silver bell we have presented to you is a sign of our everlasting peace. Please take it as a gift." Aris lowered her hands, but her fingers remained stretched upright. Her fingers twitched and the dolls came back running into the center of attention as they danced to another song.

Sakura gritted her teeth and angrily wiped the sweat off her face. Those puppets had tied the thread around her legs, and she couldn't get it off.

_Get off! Get off! Get off! _

She squeezed her eyes shut and swallowed back some of her tears. She was in a death trap. The queen's advisor and the castle's healer were both trying to kill her. She wanted to escape this horror; she just wanted to be left without fear. Sakura pulled at the threads again, they just had to come off. She would be as good as dead if they didn't.

…………………………………….

_Author's notes:_

_Yes, chapter seven is finally posted! I actually had the chapter finished way back in March, but editing took a LONG time…_

_I feel quit proud of this chapter, it's my longest chapter yet!. I finally included a little bit of fluff in this chapter, so I hope everyone could give me a little bit of feedback if it seemed too cliché or too sudden. Oh yeah, I would really appreciate it if you guys would tell me what you want to happen in the next chapters, maybe I could include your ideas or something…._

_**Wolf jade** – hmmm, I'm not really sure about Tomoyo figuring things out just yet. Originally I didn't plan on her finding out at all, but I'll keep your suggestion in mind! Lol, I don't mind if you didn't update your story that I'm reading yet. I'm just happy that now you're reading one of my fics. I finally understand how stressful it can be to try to update on schedule…_

_**Rapscallion** – I'm happy that you liked Artemis' scene. Actually, that part was sort of a last minute add-in. I hope you like this chapter just as well! Please tell me what you think of this chapter!_

_**Babystyle** – lol, well, I hope you are happy with this chapter! I added a little bit of fluff in! And finally – after four chapters – Sakura and Syaoran have met! Its about time ne?_

_**Spongebob** – thanks for the review! Hehe, I finally managed to put Sakura and Syaoran face to face in a scene, I hope you're happy with it. Please review again!_

_**Cherry-990** – after about three months, I posted chapter seven! I made sure to include the banquet. Though I feel it was a bit rushed, what do you think? Anyway, thanks for the review, it helped push me to finish the chapter!_

_Anyway, that's all for now! Maybe by the next two chapters, my summary for this fic will start to make sense. Btw, do you guys think I should change it? The summary seems a little bit vague…_

_Please review and tell me what you think! Thanks!_


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